betking Traffic Stop Data Can Shape Policy. It’s Often Missing.

You’re reading The Upshot newsletter.  The 2024 election and other topics explained with expert analysis, data and charts. Get it sent to your inbox.ImageResearchers say the existence of data alone can change how the police behave.Credit...Stella Kalinina for The New York Times

Last Monday, we published a data-driven look at the decline of traffic stops in America. The cities and states we highlighted weren’t necessarily those with the steepest declines in traffic enforcement nationally — they were places with steep declines that data enabled us to see.

Change in traffic stops Arlington, Texas 20152023 –100%–50%+50% No data -29% Menlo Park, Calif. 20162023 –100%–50%+50% No data -31% Omaha 20152022 –100%–50%+50% No data -36% Portland, Maine 20152022 –100%–50%+50% No data -60% Percent decline is calculated from the earliest to the most recent year shown. Data is sourced from each agency. Traffic Stop Data Can Shape Policy. It’s Often Missing. - The New York Times

There is no national standard or source for recording traffic stops, so we tried to gather data from as many different cities and state agencies as possible. Many cities we would have liked to have shown had incomplete data.

Some cities have incomplete public data Bakersfield, Calif. 20152022 –100%–50%+50% No data Chesapeake, Va. 20202022 –100%–50%+50% No data Columbus, Ohio 2015 –100%–50%+50% No data Wichita, Kan. 20152019 –100%–50%+50% No data Traffic Stop Data Can Shape Policy. It’s Often Missing. - The New York Times

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And other cities publish no data on traffic stops at all.

Other cities have no public data Atlanta 20152023 –100%–50%+50% No data Indianapolis 20152023 –100%–50%+50% No data Phoenix 20152023 –100%–50%+50% No data Miami 20152023 –100%–50%+50% No data Traffic Stop Data Can Shape Policy. It’s Often Missing. - The New York Times

The lack of reliable, comparable data doesn’t just make our job as reporters tricky. Communities with good data often have different political and policy discussions than places where nonexistent data makes it hard for the public to know what’s going on. Data collection is also a police reform in itself. Data mandates tell the police that their actions are being tracked. As several researchers told usbetking, the existence of data alone can change how the police behave.

Percent of people who reported being a driver in a traffic stop the previous year 1999200220052008201520182020 2%4%6%8% 9.2% 6.4% Data: Police-Public Contact Survey. Only Americans 16 or older counted. Traffic Stop Data Can Shape Policy. It’s Often Missing. - The New York Times Change in traffic stops in Los Angeles 202120222023 –100%–50%+50% /> New policy adopted after February 2022 ► Moving violations Other violations /> /> /> /> /> /> /> /> /> /> /> /> /> /> /> /> /> /> /> /> /> /> /> /> /> /> /> /> /> /> /> /> /> /> /> /> /> /> /> /> /> /> /> /> /> /> Source: California Racial and Identity Profiling Advisory Board reports. "Other violations" include violations marked as "equipment" and "non-moving." Traffic Stop Data Can Shape Policy. It’s Often Missing. - The New York Times Percent of roadway deaths marked as 'Unknown' race in Pennsylvania 201120132015201720192021 20@`

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