As Goes New York, So Goes San Francisco; Stop and Frisk Coming to the West Coast, Edgy!

Apparently unimpressed with the newfound notoriety the NYPD's stop and frisk policy has gained, San Francisco's mayor Ed Lee appears poised to bring the policy to the home of Haight-Ashbury. From the San Francisco Examiner:

Lee, a former civil rights attorney, recently told The San Francisco Chronicle that he's examining "edgy" tactics such as the New York Police Department's "stop and frisk" policy. But civil rights groups say such methods lead to racial profiling.

"The mayor is very frustrated with the level of gun violence, especially in the southeastern part of our city," his spokeswoman Christine Falvey said Thursday. "We can't keep doing the same thing. We need to get better results and the mayor has clearly stated to the community that he is willing to try something edgy, something controversial. However, he's not willing to infringe on anyone's civil rights."

He's even talked to Mike Bloomberg!

Though the NYPD's stop and frisk polices have lasted at least a decade, opposition to it gained new political traction this year; one New York state senator linked it to the Trayvon Martin shooting and the process of politicization reached an apex when Chris Matthews compared the Congressional investigation of a federal gunrunning operation and documents demanded of Eric Holder to the dehumanizing and pervasive policy of stop and frisk in New York City. Now the policy's coming to San Francisco, another liberal bastion. For safety! Don't ask questions.

Reason on Stop & Frisks