In response to the Bloomberg administration’s filing of a lawsuit challenging a provision of the Community Safety Act that establishes a strong and enforceable ban on profiling by NYPD officers, the leadership of the New York Civil Liberties Union issued the following statement, which can be attributed to NYCLU Executive Director Donna Lieberman:

"This lawsuit again demonstrates Mayor Bloomberg’s refusal to accept the fact that the NYPD’s discriminatory policing practices have both violated the rights of countless New Yorkers and sowed distrust between police officers and the communities they serve.

"This provision of the Community Safety Act was subjected to a robust public debate and received the overwhelming support of the City Council, which enacted it over the mayor’s veto. The legislation was carefully drafted to address the arguments that the Bloomberg administration raises in its lawsuit. We believe those arguments are without merit.

"Instead of carrying this pointless fight into court, the Bloomberg administration ought to embrace these reforms and establish policing practices that keep New Yorkers’ safe while respecting their constitutional rights."