Probable Cause to Shakedown All Pedestrians

Arkansas Police Chief Claims Crime Stats are Probable Cause to Shakedown All Pedestrians for ID

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Activist Post
Mayor Mike Gaskill and Police Chief Todd Stovall of Paragould, Arkansas
announced plans to patrol the streets with AR-15 rifles and stop
pedestrians randomly for IDs and questioning.

According to the Paragould Daily Press:
<blockquote>'[Police are] going to be in SWAT gear and have AR-15s
around their neck,' [Police Chief Todd] Stovall said. 'If you're out
walking, we're going to stop you, ask why you're out walking, check for
your ID.' </blockquote><blockquote>Stovall said while some people may be offended by the actions of his department, they should not be. </blockquote><blockquote>'We're going to do it to everybody,' he said. 'Criminals don't like being talked to.'</blockquote>Does
this sound like a violation of your 4th Amendment right to privacy
without probable cause? Well, they claim that rising crime statistics
provide all of the probable cause they need to stop any and every person
who may be walking in the street.
<blockquote class="tr_bq">'To ask you for your ID, I have to have a
reason,' he said. 'Well, I've got statistical reasons that say I've got a
lot of crime right now, which gives me probable cause to ask what
you're doing out. Then when I add that people are scared...then that
gives us even more [reason] to ask why are you here and what are you
doing in this area.'</blockquote>
Understandably this type of "your papers, please" policy has drawn fire
from many in the community causing the Paragould Police Department to go
into damage control, but not to change their plans.

Paragould Police issued an official statement in an attempt to justify patrolling neighborhoods with machine guns and infringing on the privacy rights of citizens.

The core of the statement is as follows (confirmation of the chief's statements are in bold):
<blockquote class="tr_bq">Once an area has been identified as a high
crime neighborhood, the select group of officers will saturate the area
in an attempt to curb the criminal behavior that is plaguing that
particular neighborhood. Officers will accomplish this in a variety of
different methods. Officers will be working to identify residents in
the affected area so that we can better serve our affected
neighborhoods. Most often, this identification process will be nothing
more than making contact with a subject, handing them a business card,
and asking if they live in the area and if there's anything we can do
for them. During hours in which crime seems to be more prevalent
(i.e. between the hours of 11pm and 5 am), our process will become more
stringent. We will be asking for picture identification. We will be
ascertaining where the subject lives and what they are doing in the
area. We will be keeping a record of those we contact.... </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">Another
issue that seems to be of concern is the mention of Street Crimes Unit
officers carrying AR-15 rifles with them during these patrols. To give a
little background information, several of our patrol officers already
carry AR-15 rifles in their patrol vehicles. The AR-15 and police work
is nothing new. Our Street Crimes Unit will not be wearing them
constantly. That would be impractical. As we have stated in our
meetings, our main purpose of mentioning this was to prepare our
residents in the event that they saw an officer armed with one. When
our officers deploy into areas where there is the potential for
contacting several subjects in a high-crime area, that is when the
potential deployment of AR-15's will occur.

Many citizens, through various media outlets, have expressed a concern
about the police 'violating rights' or 'violating the Constitution'. We
have to abide by the same rules, regulations, and laws that our
citizens do. We are not out to violate anyone's rights. Once we
have an area that shows a high crime rate or a high call volume, it is
our duty and obligation to find out why this is occurring and what we
can do to prevent the trend from continuing. Therefore, identifying
subjects in those problem areas help us to solve crimes, and hopefully
to prevent future crimes.</blockquote>Some drastic measures may be
needed to tame high-crime areas, but setting a precedent to violate
personal rights will never end well for innocent citizens. Authorities
tend to take a mile when you give them an inch. Be careful citizens of
Paragould what you're willing to give up to supposedly reduce crime.

Source:-
http://www.activistpost.com/2012/12/arkansas-police-chief-claims-crime.html