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- Link to all stop datasets: https://openpolicing.stanford.edu/data/
- California State Patrol Stops: https://stacks.stanford.edu/file/druid:yg821jf8611/yg821jf8611_ca_statewide_2020_04_01.csv.zip
- Texas State Patrol Stops: https://stacks.stanford.edu/file/druid:yg821jf8611/yg821jf8611_tx_statewide_2020_04_01.csv.zip
- New Orleans Stops: https://stacks.stanford.edu/file/druid:yg821jf8611/yg821jf8611_la_new_orleans_2020_04_01.csv.zip
- Stops by Race, All States: https://openpolicing.stanford.edu/assets/data/findings/state.csv
Other possibly interesting data sets linked below.
Possible questions to explore:
- Select two states to explore the timing of traffic stops. Use the data to answer the following questions?
- How does the volume of stops vary by time of day?
- Does the type of violation vary by time of day?
- Does the type of disciplinary action vary by time of day?
- Does the race of the person stopped vary by time of day?
- Summarize and explain your findings.
- For individuals who are stopped by the police, does the type of disciplinary action taken by the officer(s) vary by race? Compare two states in different geographic regions.
- For example, among stops of individuals perceived to be Black, what proportion resulted in a warning? Citation? Arrest? How do these rates differ by perceived racial category, within and between states?
- When your analysis is complete discuss factors that may contribute to your findings.
- These analyses are similar to the “outcome test” that is often performed with police search data. Considering the factors you identified in part b, would you use the outcome test to assess racial disparities in police stops? Why or why not?
- Select two states to compare the possible connection between race, gender and arrests made during traffic stops. Consider the following questions:
- How often are arrests made during traffic stops in each state?
- Are there differences in arrests made by racial group?
- Are there differences in arrests made by race and gender? For example, are there differences in arrest rates Black males and white males?
- Explain your findings and discuss the broader implications for how we think about race and the criminal justice system.
- Select one state to explore the connection between location, times, and traffic stops. Consider the following issues:
- Are there some districts that conduct more stops than others?
- What overall trends in traffic stop do you see over time? What criminal justice policies might account for changes in trends over time?
- Do some districts/counties have a pattern of issuing more severe citations than others? Do some counties have a higher percentage of traffic stops relative to the size of the population of the county?
- Explain your findings.