Geography Time Outcomes Demographics
Task 3 ยท Stop Reason Analysis
What happens after a stop?

Enforcement outcomes are closely associated with the stated reason for a stop. Some stop categories end primarily in warnings or citations, while others show a much higher arrest share, suggesting that what happens after a stop is structured rather than uniform.

The search hit rate โ€” how often a search actually finds contraband โ€” also varies significantly by stop reason, raising questions about whether searches are being applied consistently across stop types.

Stop Reason Total Stops Warning % Citation % Arrest % Search Hit Rate
Arrest risk by stop reason
Chart 1 of 2

Each bubble: x = arrest rate (%), y = search rate (%), size โˆ total stops.

Risk landscape

Each bubble encodes one stop reason. Horizontal position shows arrest share, vertical position shows how often officers search, and area reflects how common that reason is citywideโ€”making high-arrest, high-search pockets easy to spot.

Search contraband hit rate by reason
Chart 2 of 2

Hit rates

Hit rate measures whether a search finds contraband. Large gaps across reasons raise questions about whether searches are applied consistently for comparable stops.

Key Takeaway

Post-stop outcomes are not evenly distributed. The data suggests that both the reason for the stop and the characteristics of the stopped population are associated with different enforcement results, making outcome analysis central to the larger StopAtlas story.