This project assembles over eight million pedestrian- and vehicle-stop records from 16 major US cities to provide the first large-scale analysis of stop-and-frisk policing practices. We document striking cross-city variation—nearly two orders of magnitude—in stop-and-frisk rates that cannot be explained by crime, demographics, police resources, or other city characteristics. These findings suggest the need for standardized national guidelines.
Abrams et al. (Fri,) studied this question.