Stop-and-frisk increased by 32 percent in Queens last year

Demonstrators in 2012 protested the NYPD’s use of “stop-and-frisk” policing, which a federal judge deemed unconstitutional and racially discriminatory. AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File

By Victoria Merlino

More than six year after a  federal judge ruled that the police strategy known as stop-and-frisk was discriminatory and unconstitutional, the tactic is once again on the rise, according to NYPD records.

Queens saw a 32 percent increase in the number of reported stop-and-frisks in 2019 compared to 2018, according to new NYPD data examined by the Legal Aid Society. The rise in Queens outpaced the 22 percent citywide increase. Roughly 90 percent of stops involved New Yorkers of color, and 65 percent did not result in an arrest or summons, according to the data. 

Stop-and-frisk is a law enforcement strategy that lets police officers detain, question and sometimes search individuals who they suspect of being involved in criminal activity. The tactic was rampant during the tenure of former Mayor Michael Bloomberg, but now even Bloomberg himself says the strategy amount enabled cops to racially profile residents of color with impunity. 

Police are still allowed to engage in stop and frisks under certain circumstances, but the practice was significantly reduced following federal lawsuit rulings and settlements in 2013 and 2017.

There were 2,446 stop-and-frisk procedures performed in Queens in 2019, up from 1,848 in 2018. Citywide, there were 13,459 procedures performed, in contrast to the 11,008 performed in 2018. 

“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, attorney-in-charge of the Special Litigation Unit with the Criminal Defense Practice at The Legal Aid Society. “This is an alarming trend at the beginning of Commissioner Dermot Shea’s tenure but not surprising as he is a long-time champion of discredited broken windows policing.”

The NYPD said that the increase actually reflects better reporting, not more stops. 

“It’s unlikely to be a true increase in stops but rather more accurate and complete reporting,” a police spokesperson said in an email. “The Department has enhanced its auditing and compliance metrics as well as developed training to address stops and proper reporting. The result is a better understanding of a very complex area of law, correction of common misunderstandings and better reporting.”

The spokesperson added that the NYPD reduced the use of stop-and-frisk methods from a high of 685,000 in 2011.