Stop, Question, and Frisk in New York City: A Study of Public Opinions. (August 2017)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Evans, Douglas N.; Williams, Cynthia-Lee
• Is Part Of: Criminal justice policy review. Volume 28:Number 7(2017)
• Page Start: 687
• Page End: 709
• Publication Date: 2017-08
• Subjects: criminal justice policy -- police practices -- attitudes -- stop-and-frisk -- New York City; Criminal justice, Administration of -- United States -- Periodicals; 364.973
• DOI: 10.1177/0887403415610166
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0887-4034

Abstract

New York City's Stop-and-Frisk program has been a contentious police practice for more than 40 years. There is extensive research that examines attitudes toward the police; however, empirical research has yet to analyze citizens' perceptions of stop-and-frisk. This study uses data from pedestrians to uncover their opinions of stop-and-frisk. Results demonstrate that several demographic characteristics predicted attitudes toward stop-and-frisk; minorities and younger citizens had less positive views, and unfavorable opinions were linked to living in New York City; having less education; being unemployed; having lower income; not married; no children; having been previously frisked by police; and vicarious experiences of others with stop-and-frisk. The results provide insights into demographic and experiential factors that influence attitudes toward stop-and-frisk. As perceived unfairness often undermines police authority, identifying factors that predict unfavorable attitudes toward police practices can aide in allocating resources to further efforts to improve police–community relations.