Jacob Redmond
Well-Known Member
Marijuana enforcement in New York City, as measured by arrests and summonses for marijuana possession, has decreased since last year, according to data provided to Capital by the New York Police Department.
In November last year, Bill de Blasio announced that the police department would no longer arrest individuals with 25 grams or less of marijuana but instead issue a summons as long as there is no outstanding warrant for the individual, the marijuana is not being smoked, and the person has identification.
Capital received the number of weekly summonses and arrests for marijuana possession for October 2013 through June 2014 and October 2014 through June 2015 from the NYPD.
Arrests for marijuana possession have decreased in response to the policy change, with almost 50 percent fewer arrests from October 2014 through June 2015 than during the same period one year ago. Summonses increased during that time, but only by 11 percent. Overall, the total number of arrests plus summonses was down 30 percent from October 2014 through June 2015 compared to the same period one year ago.
Those numbers were skewed slightly by a citywide drop in police activity in December 2014, as part of what police commissioner Bill Bratton called a work slowdown. In one week that December, police made only five arrests and issued only 34 summonses for marijuana. If the numbers are adjusted to correct for the abnormally lower arrests and summonses - by assuming average arrests and summonses during that time - then marijuana enforcement is down 24 percent from the previous year.
“It’s good news that the numbers for 2015 are significantly lower than 2014 and 2013,” said Donna Lieberman, the executive director of the New York Civil Liberties Union, in an interview with Capital, referring to the number of arrests for marijuana possession. “But they still reflect an environment when they are still on track for 4 or 5 times as many arrests in 2015 as they were during most years during the 1990s.”
Marijuana arrests skyrocketed in the late 1990s. According to data from the Marijuana Arrest Research Project report there were roughly 800 marijuana arrests in 1992. By 1995 there were 5,700, in 1998 there were almost 33,000 and in 2000 there were more than 50,000 arrests.
Since then, the numbers have dipped to as low as 27,000 and gone back to as much as 50,000.
The average number of arrests per year from 1990 through 1996 was a little more than 3,000. If the average number of arrests from the first five months of 2015 continues for the rest of the year, there will be more than 13,000 arrests. This would be more than 4 times as many arrests as the average from 1990 through 1996. But it would be the least number of arrests since 1996.
Capital also received marijuana possession arrest data from the Drug Policy Alliance that contained the number of arrests by race or ethnicity. In May, 87 percent of arrests for marijuana possession were of black or Hispanic individuals.
Race and ethnicity is not collected for summonses, but there are companion bills in the state Legislature to change those requirements. Assembly bill 7698 and Senate bill 6001 would require more detailed reporting on misdemeanors and violations. In both cases, the bills require reporting on race, ethnicity, age and sex of individuals charged with a misdemeanor or given a violation and whether they were issued a summons, desk appearance ticket, or arrested. (The bills also require reporting on arrest-related deaths.)
News Moderator: Jacob Redmond 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Marijuana arrest stats show de Blasio effect | Capital New York
Author: Brendan Cheney
Contact: Contact Us | Capital New York
Photo Credit: AP Photo/Mel Evans
Website: Capital New York | Politics, Media News
In November last year, Bill de Blasio announced that the police department would no longer arrest individuals with 25 grams or less of marijuana but instead issue a summons as long as there is no outstanding warrant for the individual, the marijuana is not being smoked, and the person has identification.
Capital received the number of weekly summonses and arrests for marijuana possession for October 2013 through June 2014 and October 2014 through June 2015 from the NYPD.
Arrests for marijuana possession have decreased in response to the policy change, with almost 50 percent fewer arrests from October 2014 through June 2015 than during the same period one year ago. Summonses increased during that time, but only by 11 percent. Overall, the total number of arrests plus summonses was down 30 percent from October 2014 through June 2015 compared to the same period one year ago.
Those numbers were skewed slightly by a citywide drop in police activity in December 2014, as part of what police commissioner Bill Bratton called a work slowdown. In one week that December, police made only five arrests and issued only 34 summonses for marijuana. If the numbers are adjusted to correct for the abnormally lower arrests and summonses - by assuming average arrests and summonses during that time - then marijuana enforcement is down 24 percent from the previous year.
“It’s good news that the numbers for 2015 are significantly lower than 2014 and 2013,” said Donna Lieberman, the executive director of the New York Civil Liberties Union, in an interview with Capital, referring to the number of arrests for marijuana possession. “But they still reflect an environment when they are still on track for 4 or 5 times as many arrests in 2015 as they were during most years during the 1990s.”
Marijuana arrests skyrocketed in the late 1990s. According to data from the Marijuana Arrest Research Project report there were roughly 800 marijuana arrests in 1992. By 1995 there were 5,700, in 1998 there were almost 33,000 and in 2000 there were more than 50,000 arrests.
Since then, the numbers have dipped to as low as 27,000 and gone back to as much as 50,000.
The average number of arrests per year from 1990 through 1996 was a little more than 3,000. If the average number of arrests from the first five months of 2015 continues for the rest of the year, there will be more than 13,000 arrests. This would be more than 4 times as many arrests as the average from 1990 through 1996. But it would be the least number of arrests since 1996.
Capital also received marijuana possession arrest data from the Drug Policy Alliance that contained the number of arrests by race or ethnicity. In May, 87 percent of arrests for marijuana possession were of black or Hispanic individuals.
Race and ethnicity is not collected for summonses, but there are companion bills in the state Legislature to change those requirements. Assembly bill 7698 and Senate bill 6001 would require more detailed reporting on misdemeanors and violations. In both cases, the bills require reporting on race, ethnicity, age and sex of individuals charged with a misdemeanor or given a violation and whether they were issued a summons, desk appearance ticket, or arrested. (The bills also require reporting on arrest-related deaths.)
News Moderator: Jacob Redmond 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Marijuana arrest stats show de Blasio effect | Capital New York
Author: Brendan Cheney
Contact: Contact Us | Capital New York
Photo Credit: AP Photo/Mel Evans
Website: Capital New York | Politics, Media News
