New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio has told the city's police unions to stay out of the stop-and-frisk case.
The New York Post reports that de Blasio's corporate counsel, Zachary Carter, filed papers at the Second Court of Appeals yesterday extracting city endorsement of the Bloomberg administration's appeal of federal Judge Shira A. Schiendlin's ruling that the practice was unconstitutional:
"The city has now reached a voluntary agreement in principle with … plaintiffs on reforming NYPD stop-and-frisk policies and practices," Carter wrote. "The police unions’ involvement as an intervenor at this juncture, and the delay caused by further litigation, may hinder that settlement."
Last week, several NYPD unions filed paperwork attempting to block the case's settlement, alleging that Schiendlin's ruling tarnished the department's reputation. According to Carter, these claims are "purely speculative," as Schiendlin held the city responsible—not police unions.
The Post adds that a panel is not expected to rule on whether or not the appeal can proceed for months, but in the interim, the de Blasio administration has a concise message for police unions: Fall back.
[via New York Post]
