Stop-And-Frisk Made 'Alarming' Comeback In 2019, Study Says

NEW YORK, NY — The unlawful practice of stopping and frisking New Yorkers that the NYPD has promised to end saw a dramatic surge last year after nearly a decade of reducing the controversial searches, a Legal Aid study found.

The number of stop-and-frisks increased by 22 percent in 2019, jumping to 13,459 stops citywide from the historic 2018 of 11,008 the year before, according to NYPD data.

The spike shows that the city has not kept its promise of scaling back the practice, which was found to be unconstitutional after a legal challenge in 2013 and disproportionately targets people of color, the attorneys said.

“This data confirms what we hear from our clients on a daily basis — despite court rulings that the city’s practices were unlawful, aggressive stop-and-frisk has made a comeback in New York City,” said Corey Stoughton, Legal Aid's attorney-in-charge of the Special Litigation Unit. “...What it really represents is a broken promise to New Yorkers who stood up years ago to end ineffective, unfair and unconstitutional police practices.”

Nearly all, 90 percent, of the 2019 stop and frisks involved New Yorkers of color, data showed, and 65 percent of the stops didn't result in an arrest or a summons.

The rates are similar to a 2018 analysis that found eight out of every 10 people stopped by cops between 2014 and 2017 were people of color.

But the NYPD disputed Legal Aid's findings, arguing that the spike in data is likely due to better reporting of the practice rather than an actual increase in the number of stop-and-frisks.

"It’s unlikely to be a true increase in stops but rather more accurate and complete reporting," spokesperson Sgt. Mary Frances O’Donnell said. "The Department has enhanced its auditing and compliance metrics as well as developed training to address stops and proper reporting."

O'Donnell pointed to the fact that the NYPD has dramatically reduced the use of stop-and-frisk from a high of 685,000 in 2011.

The Legal Aid analysis found that the borough with the largest increase, according to the data, was Staten Island, which saw a 51 percent increase in stop-and-frisks between 2018 and 2019.

Queens and Manhattan were not far behind, both with a more than 30 percent increase. Brooklyn saw an 18.69 percent increase and the Bronx only a 5.71 percent jump.