A new report commissioned by Barneys distances the store from the New York Police Department frisks that have both the business and the police force reeling from accusations of racial discrimination, the Associated Press reports.
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According to the review, the store did not have a “written or unwritten” policy to profile its customers of color and did not incite police action against the two accusers, who said they were wrongly accused of credit card fraud.
However, the NYPD presented a very different argument.
"In both instances, NYPD officers were conducting unrelated investigations and took action after conferring with Barneys employees while in their security room," John McCarthy, the police department's chief spokesman, said.
Barneys had admitted that occasionally an anti-crime unit would stop at the store’s control room. In the case of Trayon Christian, for example, who was held after buying a $300 belt with his debit card, officers had seen the transaction take place, but believed it to be too fast. Suspecting fraud, the report said that officers went to stop Christian before he left, even though Barneys employees said there was no reason to do so, the AP reports.
The review only touched on two specific incidents, but a second report, dealing more with policies and policy recommendations, is expected to be released in the coming months.
Read more at the Associated Press.
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