The Legal Aid Society filed this class action lawsuit to challenge the New York Police Department's (NYPD) unconstitutional practice of prolonging police stops to demand a person’s identification to run unrelated warrant checks and investigation card (i-card) searches without an individualized basis of reasonable suspicion. Terron Belle, the lead plaintiff in the case, was walking home from the subway one night when four plainclothes police officers surrounded him on the sidewalk, ordered him to turn around, and searched him. The officers told Mr. Belle that they were searching for guns, but when they found nothing, they demanded his ID. They then proceeded to detain him to run a warrant check even after the reason for their stop – a belief that Mr. Belle was carrying an illegal gun – was confirmed to be incorrect.

In 2022, the Southern District of New York approved a settlement, including damages to those impacted. Under the terms of the settlement, the NYPD has:

• Updated NYPD Patrol Guide Procedure Number 208-22 (Warrant Checks) and Patrol Guide Procedure Number 208-23 (I-Cards) to prohibit officers from prolonging stops for purposes of conducting warrant and i-card searches; 
• Issued a FINEST message to all NYPD members of service alerting officers of the new policies and required the message to be read at each shift’s roll call meeting for ten consecutive days, which began on December 9, 2022; 
• Trained NYPD Training Sergeants on the new policy, which the Training Sergeants then taught to all officers within their command by January 31, 2023; 
• Agreed to advise all members of service that violations of the new policies may result in discipline according to the NYPD Disciplinary Matrix;
• Committed to paying a total of $453,733 in damages to plaintiffs and attorneys’ fees.