NYCLU Accuses Police Of Illegally Fingerprinting GOP Convention Protesters

[WillyT]

- Newsday

<snip>

NEW YORK (AP) _ The police department may have illegally fingerprinted hundreds of protesters arrested on minor charges during the Republican National Convention, civil rights lawyers said Monday.

Police can fingerprint someone arrested on a minor charge if they don't know the person's identity, if they think the person has provided false identification or if they suspect the person may be wanted for another crime, the New York Civil Liberties Union said.

In a letter to police Commissioner Ray Kelly dated Monday, the NYCLU said "numerous reports" indicated that everyone arrested during the convention had been fingerprinted, regardless of whether the circumstances fell within those categories. In the letter, the NYCLU's executive director, Donna Lieberman, and its associate legal director, Christopher Dunn, requested formal confirmation that the practice had taken place and asked whether it was applied just to convention protesters or to all arrests on minor charges.

They called on the New York Police Department to destroy any fingerprints that were taken improperly, saying they were worried the prints could be included in state and federal databases.

<snip>

Link: http://www.newsday.com/news/local/wire/ny-bc-ny--conventionprotest1004oct04,0,664894.story?coll=ny-ap-regional-wire

Go NYCLU!!! Good a place as any to start reversing the 'PATRIOT' trend!!!

:kick:

[bluestateguy]

1. They have a broader plan

Fingerprint all the left wing "agitators" and other opponents of the Boy King who are arrested for trivial offenses. Charge 'em, don't charge 'em, it doesn't matter. The names, SSN's and fingerprints are now in a police database, which can then easily find it's way into FBI or even CIA databases. It's the beginning of our generation's new COINTELPRO.

[gatlingforme]

2. EEK, I hate to see that bullshit happen it sickens me to no end.