Bill de Blasio: Will New York mayor end stop-and-frisk abuse?
New York's new mayor, Bill de Blasio, has promised to reform the relationship between the city's police department and its citizens after his predecessor's stop-and-frisk policy was ruled unconstitutional.
Crime fell significantly during former mayor Michael Bloomberg's 12 years in office but minorities claimed they were being unfairly targeted (87% of the 500,000 New Yorkers stopped in 2012 were non-white).
Police Commissioner Bill Bratton - who took office on 1 January along with Mr de Blasio - has said his officers will target known criminals rather than the general population. He dismissed claims from critics that crime would go back up.
The BBC spoke to New Yorkers in the Bronx and Harlem to find out how they think a shift in policing will impact their lives.
Produced by the BBC's Anna Bressanin
Altered States is a series of video features published every Wednesday on the BBC News website which examine how shifting demographics and economic conditions affect America on a local level.
01 Jan 2014
- From the section Magazine