The Unintended Consequences Stop and Frisk has on Community Policing

Abstract

New York City’s Stop and Frisk program refers to a police strategy where police execute potential searching after stopping people in check points. However, the strategy was controversial since it was associated with perceived racial profiling. In this paper, I first review the historical and legal background of Stop and Frisk. Then I review the empirical literature on the consequences of Stop and Frisk in New York City. Finally, I provide a theoretical contribution connecting the consequences of Stop and Frisk to Community Policing. Effective community policing requires trust between police and the community to enable co-production of public safety. Stop and Frisk can cause greater police mistrust and thus harm elements of community and police co-production, as citizens are less likely to report crimes, or discuss what they saw as witnesses when there is greater mistrust between police and citizens. As a result, one unintended consequence of Stop and Frisk is a negative impact on Community Policing programs.