New York Lawmakers Demand NYPD Halt Undercover Sex Trade Stings – By Joaquin Sapien and Joshua Kaplan (Pro Publica) / Dec 16 2020
A dozen city and state officials also called for the disbandment of vice, the primary division that polices the sex trade; some want investigations into misconduct allegations against the unit, including withholding of evidence.
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A group of New York lawmakers are calling on the New York Police Department to stop all undercover operations that aim to arrest sex workers or their clients, after a ProPublica investigation revealed that the busts have led to numerous allegations of false arrest and sexual misconduct, and that almost everyone arrested was nonwhite.
Assemblyman Ron Kim and four other elected officials made that recommendation in a letter this week to leaders of the City Council and the state Assembly and Senate. The letter also asks for an oversight hearing to examine misconduct allegations against the NYPD vice unit, the primary division that polices the sex trade.
Separate from the letter and the call to end undercover operations, Council Speaker Corey Johnson and New York City Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, two of the city’s most powerful political leaders, told ProPublica they believe the vice unit should be disbanded altogether. “It is one of several areas where we can reduce the law enforcement budget without compromising public safety,” Williams said. “The squad is ripe for corruption and hasn’t kept the people safe.”
CONTINUE > https://www.propublica.org/article/new-york-lawmakers-demand-nypd-halt-undercover-sex-trade-stings
