A federal judge in the United States has ruled that a stop and search policy used by the New York Police Department violates the rights of minorities.
Police have made about five million stops over the last ten years, mostly of black and hispanic men.
Judge Shira Scheindlin said that city officials knew of the potential violations, but chose to ignore them.
She did not order an end to the policy, but appointed an independent monitor to reform the practice.
The BBC reports about five million stops have been made by the NYPD over the past decade - mostly of black and hispanic men. Officials argued the policy was key in reducing the city's crime rate.
The class-action lawsuit was brought on behalf of several New York citizens who said they had been stopped without cause. The hearing lasted 10 weeks.
