Lawsuit alleges NYPD car stops are racially discriminatory, comparing them to stop-and-frisk practices.

A lawsuit filed in Manhattan Federal Court on Wednesday accuses the New York Police Department (NYPD) of engaging in unjustified stops of Black and Hispanic drivers, raising significant concerns about racial profiling. The case has been brought forth by the New York Civil Liberties Union (NYCLU) in conjunction with Bronx Defender Services. This legal action follows the implementation of a city law at the beginning of 2022, which mandates that officers document every vehicle stop, including those involving bicycles, irrespective of whether any enforcement action is taken.

According to police data and a subsequent analysis by the NYCLU, over the first three years under this law, NYPD officers conducted more than 2 million traffic stops. These stops resulted in approximately 1.8 million tickets issued, 68,000 arrests made, and 57,000 vehicles searched. The NYCLU reported troubling statistics regarding the racial demographics of these stops. While Black and Hispanic individuals constituted 22% and 23% of the city’s driving population, they were disproportionately affected by traffic stops—Blacks represented 32% of all traffic stops, and Hispanics 30%. In contrast, white drivers accounted for only 23% of stops, while comprising 38% of the overall driving population.

Further scrutiny reveals that the disparities were even more pronounced when considering enforcement actions. The NYCLU stated that Black and Hispanic individuals represented 90% of arrests made during these stops. Furthermore, Black drivers were found to be ten times more likely to be subjected to searches compared to white drivers, whereas Hispanic drivers were six times more likely.

The NYCLU’s allegations draw parallels to a previous controversy surrounding the NYPD’s stop-and-frisk policy, which faced legal challenges and was deemed unconstitutional by a federal judge in 2013. Critics argue that the targeting of drivers in predominantly minority neighborhoods is a tactic used to justify searches for weapons, despite only 4% of vehicle searches resulting in the recovery of arms. This echoes past grievances about the NYPD’s policing strategies and continues to place the department under scrutiny.

The plaintiffs in the lawsuit include the NAACP and two individual Black men, one of whom, Justin Cohen, recounted a misconduct incident in 2023. Cohen claimed he was unlawfully stopped for speeding, during which officers searched him, seized his vehicle, and arrested him, ultimately releasing him with a speeding ticket that was later dismissed. Cohen expressed that his experience epitomizes the ongoing issues of racial profiling and systemic discrimination faced by Black drivers in the city.

Despite the heightened scrutiny and calls for reform, the NYPD continues to assert that it does not engage in racial profiling. The department has made certain changes in response to recommendations from a federal monitor overseeing its practices post the stop-and-frisk ruling, yet criticism persists over its policing strategies and their implications for racial equity. As this lawsuit unfolds, it may reignite discussions surrounding accountability and reform within one of the nation’s largest police departments.

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