Phillyist Wants to Know...Would You Let Them Frisk You? (Even If They Didn't at Least Buy You a Drink First?)

In response to the growing violence problem in our fair metropolis, some folks have proposed Philly's men and women in blue institute a "stop-and-frisk" practice, wherein they would, well, stop and frisk individuals they suspect of potentially carrying illegal weapons.

In the Inquirer article from which Phillyist learned that this crime deterrent strategy is under deliberation, a video clerk from Kingsessing said he would support the measure, saying, ""If you've got nothing to be guilty about, you should have no problem. I would put up with that level of inconvenience to make the neighborhood safer."

Police Commissioner Sylvester M. Johnson, however, "said the reality is not that simple because of the need to protect civil rights."

What do you think, Philadelphia? Is allowing "stop-and-frisk" practices a reasonable safety measure, or a step down a slippery legal slope?

Image by Flickr user Kai Kuchiki