Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Map of the Day: Stop and Frisks on the Subway
By
Jen Chung
Published Feb 19, 2008
Modified Mar 7, 2008
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
Jen Chung
Published Feb 19, 2008
Modified Mar 7, 2008
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
The Daily News put together a map detailing the number of stop-and-frisks on the subway - and the racial breakdown of these stop-and-frisks. As the accompanying article makes clear (as well as interviews with people who have been stopped - 1, 2) how cops can stop anyone , though black and Hispanic riders make up about half of the subway riding population, 88% percent of the people stopped are black or Hispanic. The NYPD told the News, "Subway crime is down, in part, because of stops. Officers make stops based on reasonable suspicion, and the numbers reflect the times, places and circumstances where those observations take place."
However, John Jay College of Criminal Justice's Eugene O'Donnell, who used to be a cop and prosecutor, and the NYCLU's Christopher Dunn argue the unnecessarily stopped black and Hispanic riders may become resentful and unwilling to cooperate with police in the future. O'Donnell says, "Anybody who's stopped and questioned and frisked unnecessarily, that's a big deal in a free society."
The map lists statistics by transit bureau, not by stop. Last year, a study the RAND corporation conducted based on NYPD data showed that all minorities have an equal chance of being stopped and questioned, but blacks and Hispanics are more likely to be stopped, frisked, searched, and arrested.
Tagged
As
Christopher Dunn
civil liberties
criminal justice
daily news
Eugene O
john jay
john jay college
map
MTA
news
nypd
stop and frisk
subway
the daily news
the future
The NYPD
Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Dump truck driver hits and kills cyclist on 34th Street in Midtown, NYPD says
It's the latest in a string of hit-and-run deaths in the city in recent months.
By
Liam Quigley
Published Sep 28, 2026 at 4:15 p.m. ET
New ingredient mandated for Latin American kitchen, restaurant plates in NJ
The Garden State now requires that corn masa dough and flour made and sold in the state be fortified with folic acid.
By
Arya Sundaram
News
New ingredient mandated for Latin American kitchen, restaurant plates in NJ
The Garden State now requires that corn masa dough and flour made and sold in the state be fortified with folic acid.
By
Arya Sundaram
A Brooklyn jail cell filled with smoke. The emergency button failed, a lawyer said.
By
Samantha Max
Crews launch tunnel machines to dig first new Hudson River rail tunnels since 1910
By
Michael Sol Warren
NYC nor’easter dries up after weather service reports minor flooding
By
Ramsey Khalifeh
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .