Pedestrian Stops
Strategies, policies, and stop activity data should be reported to the community. Community input should be solicited and, where appropriate, incorporated into policies and procedures regarding the use of pedestrian stops as a public safety strategy.
MORE ▸Strategies to monitor the racial and ethnic impact of pedestrian stops must be developed and implemented to prevent disparate outcomes. The behavior and actions of officers during pedestrian stops should be routinely observed and audited, and officers should periodically review body-worn camera footage and the bases and outcomes of the stops to ensure that their…
MORE ▸Goals, policies, and strategies for pedestrian stops must be established with community input, clearly articulated, and tied to larger goals that place the highest value on police-community relations and respect for individuals.
MORE ▸Key data regarding pedestrian stops must be recorded, analyzed, and reported to the public. Data should include time and location, demographics of the person stopped, justification for the stop, whether a protective pat down or search was used, and if actions were taken (e.g., citation or arrest) as a result of the stop.
MORE ▸Officers and supervisors must receive regular training to ensure that pedestrian stops are performed in a way that is constitutional, respectful, effective, and not overused.
MORE ▸Pedestrian stops, which allow officers to temporarily detain, question, and search a person once constitutional thresholds have been reached, should be limited to those with a clear public safety impact. Although they have been associated with reduced violent crime and increased firearm recovery, overreliance is not only likely to harm police-community relationships, including the public’s…
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