NYPD's Kelly Tried to 'Instill Fear' in Minorities: Ex-Cop

As controversy continues over New York City's stop-and-frisk law, a state senator—and former cop—has testified in federal court that the police commissioner aimed to "instill fear" in the black and Hispanic communities. State Sen. Eric Adams, a police officer for 22 years, said that during a 2010 meeting, police commissioner Raymond Kelly "stated that he targeted ... that group because he wanted to instill fear in them that every time that they left their homes they could be targeted by police," the Guardian reports. The court case has been brought by plaintiffs trying to end the stop-and-frisk practice.

Adams said he "told (Kelly) that was illegal," prompting the commissioner to ask, "How else are we going to get rid of guns?" Adams said, per the New York Post. He was particularly surprised given that the meeting included three black elected officials, he said. An attorney for the city denied the claims, saying no one "in their right mind" would believe police were "targeting, just for targeting, blacks and Hispanics." She also said that a 2011 affidavit cited the phrase "instill the belief," not "instill fear." For his part, Kelly has "categorically and totally" denied the "ludicrous" claim. (More New York City stories.)