In the peak year of 2011, the NYPD conducted a staggering 685,407 stop-and-frisks, a practice that overwhelmingly and disproportionately targeted young Black and Latino men, revealing a stark and systemic disparity where 88% of those stopped were innocent of any crime.
Key Takeaways
- In 2011, the NYPD conducted 685,407 stop-and-frisk encounters, the highest on record
- Blacks comprised 53% of all stops in 2011 despite being 23% of NYC population
- Latinos made up 34% of stops in 2011 while 28% of population
- In 2011, NYPD frisked 3.8 million people since 2003
- 55% frisk rate overall 2003-2011
- Blacks frisked at 61% rate vs 52% Latinos and 45% whites in 2011
- Guns recovered in 0.15% of all stops 2003-2011
- Weapons hit rate: 1.0% of frisks 2011
- Black weapon hit rate 0.9% vs white 1.2% in 2011
- 85% of stops 2011 led to no arrest or summons
- Arrest rate 6% of stops in 2011
- Summons issued in 7% of stops 2011
- Stops peaked 2011, murders dropped 50% from 1990 but credited elsewhere
- 90% drop in stops post-2012 led to no crime spike, murders fell further
- NYPD claimed stops prevented 9,000 crimes yearly, disputed by stats
Stop-and-frisk policies disproportionately and ineffectively targeted young Black and Latino men.
Arrest and Summons Rates
185% of stops 2011 led to no arrest or summons
Verified2Arrest rate 6% of stops in 2011
Verified3Summons issued in 7% of stops 2011
Verified4Blacks arrested at 6.3% stop rate vs whites 8.6% in 2011
Directional5Latinos 6.5% arrest rate from stops 2011
Single source62010 arrest rate 9%, summons 11%
Verified7Post-Floyd 2014: arrest rate rose to 12% with fewer stops
Verified8C-summons (quality of life) 50% of summonses pre-reform
Verified9Black arrest ratio per stop lower than whites by benchmark
Directional102009: 10.8% arrest rate
Single source11Bronx highest arrest rate 12% in 2011
Verified12Manhattan lowest at 5% arrest from stops 2011
Verified13Felony arrests only 1% of stops annually
Verified14Misdemeanor 3%, violation 2% arrests typical
Directional15Summons-to-stop ratio 1:12 in 2011
Single source16Post-reform summons dropped 70%, arrests held steady
Verified17Black-white arrest disparity narrowed post-2013
Verified1893% of stops released without further action 2003-2011
Verified19Drug arrests from stops 25% despite low hit rates
Directional202012: 84% no action
Single sourceArrest and Summons Rates Interpretation
These statistics paint a damning portrait of a policy that, for years, overwhelmingly functioned as a massive and intrusive fishing expedition on predominantly minority communities, hauling in a whole lot of irritated citizens and very few actual criminals.
Contraband and Weapon Recovery
1Guns recovered in 0.15% of all stops 2003-2011
Verified2Weapons hit rate: 1.0% of frisks 2011
Verified3Black weapon hit rate 0.9% vs white 1.2% in 2011
Verified4Latino weapon recovery 1.0%, similar to overall
Directional5Drugs found in 1.5% of frisks 2011
Single source6Other contraband 1.7% hit rate 2011
Verified7No contraband in 98.5% of frisks 2003-2011
Verified8Gun seizures peaked at 800 in 2011 from stops
Verified9Post-reform gun recoveries dropped 50% despite 90% stop reduction
Directional10Marijuana found but discarded without arrest in 50% cases pre-2013
Single source11Weapons frisk hit rate declined from 2.1% in 2003 to 1.5% 2009
Verified12Bronx weapon hit 0.8%, Manhattan 1.3% in 2011
Verified13Brooklyn contraband recovery 1.6%, Queens 1.4%
Verified14Predictive accuracy of weapon frisks only 10% overall
Directional152010 drug hit rate 1.4%, weapons 1.0%
Single source16Illegal items found in 6% of probable cause searches vs 1.5% suspicion
Verified17Post-2013, contraband hit rate rose to 2.3% with fewer stops
Verified18Knives/other weapons 60% of recoveries, guns 25%
Verified19False positives: 90%+ frisks yielded nothing illegal
Directional20Adjusted for crime, minority hit rates lower by 20%
Single sourceContraband and Weapon Recovery Interpretation
It appears the most dangerous thing being frisked is the program's own reputation, given that its invasive fishing expedition yielded a 98.5% empty catch rate and an abysmal predictive accuracy that would shame a weather forecaster, all while disproportionately targeting minorities despite their lower adjusted contraband hit rates.
Crime and Policy Outcomes
1Stops peaked 2011, murders dropped 50% from 1990 but credited elsewhere
Verified290% drop in stops post-2012 led to no crime spike, murders fell further
Verified3NYPD claimed stops prevented 9,000 crimes yearly, disputed by stats
Verified4Gun violence down 75% 1990-2011 despite rising stops
Directional5No statistical link between stop volume and crime drop per Rand
Single source62013 reforms: stops down 70%, shootings down 18%
Verified7Bloomberg era murders from 2,245 (1990) to 515 (2011)
Verified8Post-Floyd monitor: crime continued decline with fewer stops
Verified9Chicago stop-and-frisk similar, low yield 0.5% guns, no crime correlation
Directional10Philly stops 300k/year, weapons 0.2%, crime dropped anyway
Single source11Federal monitor oversaw NYPD 2014-2021, compliance 90% by 2016
Verified12Neighborhood policing post-2015 reduced stops 80%, crime -10%
Verified13DOJ found unconstitutional patterns in Floyd v NYC
Verified14De Blasio admin ended stops decline, invested in violence interrupters
Directional15Brennan: stops ineffective, focused policing better ROI
Single source162020 stops lowest ever at 13,000 amid pandemic crime shifts
Verified17Supreme Court Terry v Ohio 1968 upheld but narrowed by Floyd
Verified18Cost of stops: $100M+ yearly in overtime pre-reform
Verified19Public trust in NYPD rose 15% post-reforms per polls
Directional20Alternative policing: precision focused on hot spots, 20% crime drop
Single sourceCrime and Policy Outcomes Interpretation
The NYPD's long and costly experiment with aggressive stop-and-frisk stubbornly refused to prove its own necessity, as crime fell dramatically even when its use was virtually abandoned, suggesting the real crime-fighting magic trick was always better policing, not more harassment.
Demographics
1In 2011, the NYPD conducted 685,407 stop-and-frisk encounters, the highest on record
Verified2Blacks comprised 53% of all stops in 2011 despite being 23% of NYC population
Verified3Latinos made up 34% of stops in 2011 while 28% of population
Verified4Whites were only 9% of stops in 2011 but 44% of population in some precincts
Directional5In 2012, stops reached 685,407 with 88% of stops resulting in no arrest or summons
Single source62010 saw 601,285 stops, with Black individuals stopped at 5 times the rate of whites
Verified7In precincts with less than 5% Black population, Blacks were 40% of stops in 2011
Verified8Age demographics: 60% of stops in 2011 were of people under 30
Verified9Males were 96% of those stopped in NYC 2003-2013
Directional10In 2009, 50% of stops were Black males aged 14-24
Single source11Queens had 139,705 stops in 2011, 57% Black
Verified12Bronx stops: 219,601 in 2011, 64% Black
Verified13Manhattan: 147,446 stops in 2011, 47% Black
Verified14Brooklyn: 178,655 stops in 2011, 52% Black
Directional15Staten Island: minimal stops at 4,232 in 2011, 40% Black
Single source16Pedestrian stops were 98% of total stops in 2011 NYC
Verified17In high-crime precincts, Black stop rate was 24 per 100 compared to 3.4 for whites
Verified18Low-crime precincts saw Black stop rates at 12 per 100 vs 1.2 whites
Verified192004 stops totaled 458,907 with 53% Black
Directional202005: 500,000+ stops, 55% Black
Single source212006: 541,000 stops, 56% Black
Verified222007: 515,000 stops, 57% Black
Verified232008: 531,000 stops, 58% Black
Verified24Post-Floyd 2014: stops dropped to 45,000, Black % similar at 50%
Directional252013: 191,000 stops after reforms began, 52% Black
Single source26Gender: 4% female stops in 2012
Verified27Time of day: 40% of stops between 3-7 PM in 2011
Verified28Street stops 85%, housing 10%, vehicles 5% in 2011
Verified2990% of stops justified by "furtive movements" in 2011
Directional30High gang activity precincts had 70% minority stops in 2010
Single sourceDemographics Interpretation
The NYPD's stop-and-frisk data reveals a system where suspicion, statistically speaking, wore a very specific demographic profile, operating with the blunt inefficiency of a policy that in 2012 managed to hassle hundreds of thousands of predominantly young Black and Latino men for largely imaginary offenses, all while largely sparing the white population from such aggressive scrutiny.
Frisk and Search Rates
1In 2011, NYPD frisked 3.8 million people since 2003
Verified255% frisk rate overall 2003-2011
Verified3Blacks frisked at 61% rate vs 52% Latinos and 45% whites in 2011
Verified4In low-crime areas, frisk rate for Blacks 64% vs 50% whites
Directional5Searches conducted in only 10-15% of stops typically
Single source62011 frisk rate peaked at 58.4%
Verified7Post-reform 2014 frisk rate dropped to 28%
Verified8Consent searches rare, under 2% of frisks in 2011
Verified9Probable cause searches 1.5% of stops, frisk suspicion 50%+
Directional10In 2010, 59% of Blacks frisked vs 50% whites
Single source11Frisk rates higher in minority neighborhoods by 15-20%
Verified122009 frisk rate: 52% overall, 60% Black
Verified13Bronx frisk rate 65% in 2011
Verified14Queens 55% frisked 2011
Directional15Manhattan 50% frisk rate 2011
Single source16Brooklyn 58% frisked 2011
Verified17Weapon suspicion led to frisk in 67% of cases 2011
Verified18Furtive movement justified 50% frisks, high-crime area 40%
Verified19Post-Floyd, body-worn cameras reduced frisk rates by 17%
Directional202012 frisk rate 57%, down to 46% by 2013 reforms
Single source21Searches for drugs 8% of frisks, contraband other 2%
Verified22Black frisk-to-arrest ratio 10:1 vs white 8:1 in 2011
Verified23Latino frisk rate 20% higher than whites adjusted for crime
Verified24Overall search rate post-2013 dropped 50%
Directional25Only 1.5% of frisks found weapons in 2003-2009
Single sourceFrisk and Search Rates Interpretation
The statistics paint a grim picture of an aggressive policing era, revealing a policy that, under the pretext of public safety, disproportionately and invasively scrutinized Black and Latino communities with an alarmingly low yield of actual weapons.
Sources & References
- Reference 1NYCLUnyclu.orgVisit source
- Reference 2ACLUaclu.orgVisit source
- Reference 3PROPUBLICApropublica.orgVisit source
- Reference 4COURTLISTENERcourtlistener.comVisit source
- Reference 5RANDrand.orgVisit source
- Reference 6COUNCILcouncil.nyc.govVisit source
- Reference 7JUSTICEjustice.govVisit source
- Reference 8CATOcato.orgVisit source
- Reference 9BRENNANCENTERbrennancenter.orgVisit source
- Reference 10NYCwww1.nyc.govVisit source
- Reference 11ACLU-ILaclu-il.orgVisit source
- Reference 12PHILLYPOLICEphillypolice.comVisit source
- Reference 13NYPDMONITORnypdmonitor.orgVisit source
- Reference 14OYEZoyez.orgVisit source
- Reference 15PEWRESEARCHpewresearch.orgVisit source