Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
City Officials Want Federal Probe Into NYPD Stop And Frisk Policy
By
Ben Yakas
Published Oct 20, 2011
Modified Nov 30, 2011
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
Ben Yakas
Published Oct 20, 2011
Modified Nov 30, 2011
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
The eight year NYPD veteran who was arrested and charged with civil rights violations in connection with a racially-charged stop-and-frisk arrest on Staten Island is now being held in protective custody. And the arrest Officer Michael Daragjati has provoked several elected officials into calling for a federal probe of the NYPD stop and frisk policy: "I have never been stopped and frisked. But I can no longer look mothers and grandmothers in the eye, knowing in the bottom of my heart that there is a two-tiered justice system," said Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer.
Stringer was joined by State Sen. Eric Adams, City Councilmen Jumaane Williams and Ydanis Rodriguez in calling for the probe. Adams, a retired NYPD captain, added: "We are criminalizing thousands of young people in New York City. What is it going to take before we realize this is a citywide problem?" According to the News, 317,000 people were stopped between January 1 and June 30, an increase of almost 14 percent from last year.
Daragjati, who was called "a blatant racist" by a judge this week, says he fears for his family's safety, according to his lawyer Michael Martinez. His father Loro Daragjati expressed his support for his son after a brief court appearance yesterday: "He's my son and I love him."
Daragjati was charged Monday with falsely arresting a black man, then later allegedly using a racial slur while talking about the arrest on the phone. He was also accused of being involved in separate off-duty extortion and insurance fraud schemes—NYPD spokesman Paul Browne said the department had already been investigating him when they caught him saying, "I fried another n-----," on the phone. Yesterday, another Staten Island man alleged that Daragjati ruined his life and his burgeoning baseball career by falsely arresting him six years ago.
Tagged
cops
Michael Daragjati
n-word
nypd
police
staten island
stop and frisk
Ben Yakas
Ben Yakas is a former Gothamist reporter.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Man shot by ICE in NYC's Marble Hill said federal officers never identified themselves
The wounded man said he didn't learn ICE agents were involved until he woke up in the hospital.
By
Arya Sundaram
and
Samantha Max
Published Oct 14, 2026 at 5:26 p.m. ET
Modified Oct 14, 2026 at 6:55 p.m. ET
Brooklyn school dean says MTA officers assaulted him over a $3 bus fare he says he paid
Kyle Taylor, a dean at Mott Bridges Academy, says he made a legal bus transfer.
By
Carol Chen
News
Brooklyn school dean says MTA officers assaulted him over a $3 bus fare he says he paid
Kyle Taylor, a dean at Mott Bridges Academy, says he made a legal bus transfer.
By
Carol Chen
National Grid customers in NYC will see higher gas bills this winter
By
Rosemary Misdary
Bruce Blakeman joins Gov. Hochul in support for expanding NY rape law
By
Jon Campbell
2 men accused of stabbing off-duty NYPD detective in the Bronx plead not guilty
By
Charles Lane
and
Brittany Kriegstein
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .