Bratton ends ‘well-intended’ shelter sweeps
Azi Paybarah
The New York Police Department has halted plans to sweep through homeless shelters in search of residents with open warrants, after police commissioner Bill Bratton said he had "concerns" about the sweeps.
The initiative took place on the Upper West Side, and was first reported by DNAinfo last month. Twenty-two people were reportedly arrested in one sweep of a shelter on West 95th Street.
The sweeps were sharply criticized by the NYCLU, which said there was "no justification" for the practice. Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer said case workers, not police officers, ought to perform such checks and questioned whether they would undermine the citys effort to encourage the use of public services like homeless shelters.
http://www.capitalnewyork.com/article/city-hall/2014/06/8547551/bratton-ends-well-intended-shelter-sweeps?top-featured-2