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East Harlem strollers beware -- Most of those stopped and frisked in 23rd Precinct are arrested BY Benjamin Lesser, Pearl Gabel and Alison Gendar DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITERS Sunday, December 5th 2010, 4:00 AM Gabel for News Getting frisked in E. Harlem is a common occurrence for Peter O'Neil and Raymond Alvarado (b.). Gabel for News Related News NYC suffers frightening 15% jump in homicides The most likely neighborhood in New York where you'll get arrested or hit with a summons if cops "stop-and-frisk" you is East Harlem, records show. Throughout much of this year, nearly half of the people cops stopped in that neighborhood's 23rd Precinct wound up facing some level of criminal charge or violation, a Daily News analysis of records found. The citywide average is 15%. From April through September, 48% of the 4,054 people stopped and questioned by the NYPD were either issued a summons or arrested. Nearly 80% of those hit with charges got the lower level summons. The precinct's record dwarfed the rest of the city. Citywide over the last few years, about 13% of those stopped were either arrested or given a summons, NYPD records show. Recently the rate grew to about 15%. Only one other precinct, upper Manhattan's 32nd Precinct, has even topped 40% in combined summonses and arrests since January 2007. NYPD Deputy Commissioner Paul Browne said the numbers in the 23rd Precinct were inflated because officers mistakenly filled out stop-and-frisk reports, known as 250s, when they don't have to. "In some cases they thought they needed to fill out a 250 when they didn't. It was an unnecessary step," Browne said, adding that the problem will be corrected. Other insiders said cops would only fill out extra paperwork if they were instructed to do so. "Cops are allergic to paperwork. They hate it. Someone told them to do it this way," another law enforcement source said. East Harlem residents insist the numbers accurately reflect their experience in the precinct, which runs from 96th to 125th Sts. between Fifth Ave. and the Harlem River. "It's become normal," said Raymond Alvarado, 36. "Most people who are searched won't even file a complaint. I know I'm going to get searched again in the 23rd." Alvarado said he's been stopped and frisked so often he changed the way he dresses - avoiding all black or any gang-affiliated colors - since that seems to attract police attention. Police insiders said stop-and-frisks, when done correctly, should result in felony and misdemeanor arrests - not an increase in summonses, which are often just violations. "If you are hitting 50%, and most of that is summonses, then your cops are stopping people for the wrong reasons and giving out summonses," said a former precinct commander. "And 50% is just ridiculous. Whoever was crunching the numbers must have been asleep not to notice it." Truck driver Raul Gonzalez, 42, whose record consists of traffic infractions, says he's been stopped in the 23rd repeatedly because he's been told he "fits the description" of a suspect. "They tell you to put your hands against the wall and they pat you down. They ask you to empty out your pockets. They tell you, 'Open your wallet and give me your ID.' Once they run it and see it's clean, they let you go. I've never gotten an apology from a cop," Gonzalez said. Peter O'Neil, 23, moved into the precinct two months ago and has already been subjected to a stop-and-frisk, though he didn't get a summons. "I was in the park reading a book. I had three cops come up to me and get kind of pushy with me. They made me take off my sunglasses, then they ran my license. They saw I was clean and they backed off," he said. Some Manhattan cops and their supervisors said stop-and-frisks are effective tools when used to find suspects, or to combat burglary spikes, stickup crews or open-air drug markets. Still, one veteran undercover cop worried that commanding officers were pressing street cops to spike the numbers to please the bosses at One Police Plaza. The friction with the community could be damaging, he warned. "It's just bad police work and gets everyone in the neighborhood even more (angry) at cops, which comes back to bite us sooner or later," the cop said. agendar@nydailynews.com Read more at www.nydailynews.com

 

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