Data came mainly from approximately 175,000 forms that police officers were required to complete after a variety of stop encounters during 1998 and the first 3 months of 1999. The analysis determined the frequency of stops in various police precincts and compared the rates at which members of different racial groups were stopped during the study period. Results revealed that black persons comprised 25.6 percent of the city’s population and 50.6 percent of persons stopped. Hispanics comprised 23.7 percent of the population and 33.0 percent of the stops. In contrast, white persons comprised 43.4 percent of the population and only 12.9 percent of the stops. Precincts where minorities accounted for the majority of the population tended to see more stop and frisk activity than precincts where whites were the majority. Only one of nine stops resulted in an arrest. Further analysis revealed that 61.1 percent of a sample of 15,000 forms contained factual bases that were sufficient to justify a stop based on reasonable suspicion, 15.4 percent of the forms did not provide sufficient information to justify a stop, and 23.5 percent did not allow a determination of whether reasonable suspicion existed. The analysis concluded that this study is the first stage of a process that will include further contacts and discussions with the police agency and a dialogue with the agency and with scholars, community leaders, members of the organized bars, and others regarding the findings and the potential need for changes. Footnotes