Category: Violent Crimes

Last week, a New York Post article described a little known, specialized unit of the NYPD that keeps tabs on a number of rappers and hip-hop stars. This shadowy unit is allegedly composed of plainclothes cops whose job it is to investigate crimes and violence in the hip-hop industry. The “Hip-Hop Squad” conducts surveillance at the rap stars’ NYC parties, night club appearances and concerts. However, even untalented and amateur rappers can find their way onto the radar of the hip-hop police because the NYPD is also using online rap videos as evidence of gang activity. In some cases, these videos and their violent lyrics have even been used as evidence against defendants at trial.

Since the recent uproar over the shooting death of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Mo., a spotlight has been on the actions of the officer who pulled his weapon and shot the unarmed teenager. Each time an officer draws their weapon, it implicates a very rigid set of rules and legal precedent that dictates when a gun can be fired, where it can be aimed, how many rounds should be squeezed off, and when the shooting should stop.