A Data Envelopment Analysis of the New York City Stop-and-Frisk Policy, Pre- and Postconstitutionality Ruling

ABSTRACT

The debate about New York City's Stop, Question, and Frisk policy has been thrust back into the spotlight through the claims made by President Donald Trump that it worked well in New York City. The fact of the matter is that the merit of the policy is still under considerable debate by those investigating the extreme racial disparities found in the stops, and those investigating its uncorroborated impact in reducing crime. The stronger side, however, appears to be those investigating the racial disparities, as federal courts have ruled unconstitutional the way the New York City Police Department (NYPD) enforces the policy. This research takes an alternative route by investigating the efficiency of the policy through application of data envelopment analysis to stop-and-frisk counts pre- and postconstitutionality ruling to gauge the changes. Findings reveal the efficiency increased slightly, and African Americans benefited the most from the ruling. Additionally, results reveal that whites were negatively affected by the ruling with respect to frisk efficiency.

KEYWORDS:

• Crime
• data envelopment analysis
• New York City
• race
• stop and frisk