New data released by the New York Civil Liberties Union puts the NYPD on blast. It shows that NYPD officers are more likely to stop, arrest and search Black and Latinx drivers in traffic stops. They also say drivers in certain neighborhoods are more likely to be stopped by the NYPD.

The NYCLU got this information after suing the NYPD for access to their traffic stop records.  The data shows that between January 2022 and June 2023, the NYPD made more than 1 million traffic stops. And despite representing just 44% of New York's driving population combined, Black and Latinx drivers represent 61% of drivers stopped and an overwhelming 90% of drivers arrested during traffic stops in that time frame.  Most stops occurred in Brooklyn, followed by Queens, Manhattan, the Bronx and Staten Island.  Also, nearly half of the drivers stopped were under the age of 35.  Ify Chikezie, a staff attorney with the New York Civil Liberties Union, says the courts have granted police officers carte blanche when making traffic stops.

“What we are seeing is that they are choosing to use this discretion in ways that harm Black and brown communities, and the impacts of these frequent touchpoints with cops can be absolutely devastating for individuals and communities,” Chikezie told News 12 over Zoom.  “Unfortunately, we have too many examples...where Black and brown folks are killed by cops for things like driving while Black, sitting in a car while Black.”

News 12 reached out to the NYPD several times for comment but did not receive a reply.  In the past, the NYPD has said the department carries out all of its work without consideration of race or ethnicity. The department has also said the NYPD doesn’t require officers to make a certain number of stops.