Stop-and-Frisk Data

An analysis by the NYCLU revealed that innocent New Yorkers have been subjected to police stops and street interrogations more than 5 million times since 2002, and that black and Latino communities continue to be the overwhelming target of these tactics. Nearly nine out of 10 stopped-and-frisked New Yorkers have been completely innocent, according to the NYPD’s own reports:

• In 2002, New Yorkers were stopped by the police 97,296 times.
  80,176 were totally innocent (82 percent).
• In 2003, New Yorkers were stopped by the police 160,851 times.
  140,442 were totally innocent (87 percent).
  77,704 were black (54 percent).
  44,581 were Latino (31 percent).
  17,623 were white (12 percent).
  83,499 were aged 14-24 (55 percent).
• In 2004, New Yorkers were stopped by the police 313,523 times.
  278,933 were totally innocent (89 percent).
  155,033 were black (55 percent).
  89,937 were Latino (32 percent).
  28,913 were white (10 percent).
  152,196 were aged 14-24 (52 percent).
• In 2005, New Yorkers were stopped by the police 398,191 times.
  352,348 were totally innocent (89 percent).
  196,570 were black (54 percent).
  115,088 were Latino (32 percent).
  40,713 were white (11 percent).
  189,854 were aged 14-24 (51 percent).
• In 2006, New Yorkers were stopped by the police 506,491 times.
  457,163 were totally innocent (90 percent).
  267,468 were black (53 percent).
  147,862 were Latino (29 percent).
  53,500 were white (11 percent).
  247,691 were aged 14-24 (50 percent).
• In 2007, New Yorkers were stopped by the police 472,096 times.
  410,936 were totally innocent (87 percent).
  243,766 were black (54 percent).
  141,868 were Latino (31 percent).
  52,887 were white (12 percent).
  223,783 were aged 14-24 (48 percent).
• In 2008, New Yorkers were stopped by the police 540,302 times.
  474,387 were totally innocent (88 percent).
  275,588 were black (53 percent).
  168,475 were Latino (32 percent).
  57,650 were white (11 percent).
  263,408 were aged 14-24 (49 percent).
• In 2009, New Yorkers were stopped by the police 581,168 times.
  510,742 were totally innocent (88 percent).
  310,611 were black (55 percent).
  180,055 were Latino (32 percent).
  53,601 were white (10 percent).
  289,602 were aged 14-24 (50 percent).
• In 2010, New Yorkers were stopped by the police 601,285 times.
  518,849 were totally innocent (86 percent).
  315,083 were black (54 percent).
  189,326 were Latino (33 percent).
  54,810 were white (9 percent).
  295,902 were aged 14-24 (49 percent).
• In 2011, New Yorkers were stopped by the police 685,724 times.
  605,328 were totally innocent (88 percent).
  350,743 were black (53 percent).
  223,740 were Latino (34 percent).
  61,805 were white (9 percent).
  341,581 were aged 14-24 (51 percent).
• In 2012, New Yorkers were stopped by the police 532,911 times
  473,644 were totally innocent (89 percent).
  284,229 were black (55 percent).
  165,140 were Latino (32 percent).
  50,366 were white (10 percent).
• In 2013, New Yorkers were stopped by the police 191,558 times.
  169,252 were totally innocent (88 percent).
  104,958 were black (56 percent).
  55,191 were Latino (29 percent).
  20,877 were white (11 percent).
• In 2014, New Yorkers were stopped by the police 46,235 times.
  38,051 were totally innocent (82 percent).
  24,777 were black (55 percent).
  12,662 were Latino (29 percent).
  5,536 were white (12 percent).
• In the first quarter of 2015, New Yorkers were stopped by the police 7,135 times.
  5,857 were totally innocent (82 percent).
  3,693 were black (53 percent).
  2,123 were Latino (30 percent).
  864 were white (12 percent).

  
  
  

  About the Data

  Every time a police officer stops a person in NYC, the officer is supposed to fill out a form to record the details of the stop. Officers fill out the forms by hand, and then the forms are entered manually into a database. There are 2 ways the NYPD reports this stop-and-frisk data: a paper report released quarterly and an electronic database released annually.

  The paper reports – which the N.Y.C.L.U. releases every three months – include data on stops, arrests, and summonses. The data are broken down by precinct of the stop and race and gender of the person stopped. The paper reports provide a basic snapshot on stop-and-frisk activity by precinct and are available here.

  The electronic database includes nearly all of the data recorded by the police officer after a stop. The data include the age of person stopped, if a person was frisked, if there was a weapon or firearm recovered, if physical force was used, and the exact location of the stop within the precinct. Having the electronic database allows researchers to look in greater detail at what happens during a stop. Below are CSV files containing data from the 2012 electronic database.
  
  
  

  Downloadable Files

  Click here to download a compressed (.zip) CSV file of the 2012 database. This file is easily imported into most statistical packages, including the freeware R. It contains 101 variables and 532,911 observations, each of which represents a stop conducted by an NYPD officer. Variables include race, gender and age of the person stopped as well as the location, time and date of the stop.

  Click here to download a PDF file of documents and notes that may clarify the dataset. The PDF includes a list and description of variables, a blank stop-and-frisk reporting form (UF-250) and other notes provided by the NYPD.