Field and Traffic Stops
Our department is committed to service through transparency. Part of our commitment includes public data about our field and traffic stops.
We have a deep respect for the diversity of our community. We are committed to serving and protecting our community in a fair and impartial manner that promotes respect and inclusiveness.
Stopping members of the community for traffic enforcement, or any other reason, based solely on race, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, national origin, socio-economic background or gender is illegal, unconstitutional, unprofessional and inconsistent with the values, ethics and ideals of the police profession and the University.
We recognize that being stopped or encountered by the police can be a significant emotional experience. To help you understand why you might be stopped by an officer, and how you can expect to be treated, please review the Police Stop Guide.
We also want you to know that you have the right to provide feedback about an officer’s actions. The department will fully uphold its obligation to the community to fairly and impartially investigate incidents of racial profiling or other police misconduct. If you have any questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to contact us.
What type of data is collected?
We are committed to transparency by collecting, analyzing and publishing field and traffic stop data.
Field stops
Field stop data indicates the way in which the call was initiated and the self-identified race of the individual stopped. Calls may be received one of two ways:
- Citizen request for service – A citizen contacts NUPD either by phone or flagging down an officer and requests them to investigate a situation involving a person. Either the person is pointed out by a citizen or a physical description is provided to the officer(s) by the citizen.
- Officer initiated – An officer while on duty identifies circumstances that result in stopping an individual to conduct a further investigation of the situation. The legal standard for initiating a stop is a minimum of reasonable suspicion.
Traffic stops
Traffic stop data includes the disposition of the stop and the self-identified race and gender of the driver.