Click Here to Download the Report:

About the Report:
LatinoJustice PRLDEF and Milbank LLP released the findings of an independent analysis of Suffolk County Police Department (SCPD) traffic stop data, revealing troubling disparities in how Latino drivers are treated on the roads.

The report, prepared by Dr. Jessica Tyler, a data scientist who has worked with the Harris County Public Defenders Office, reviewed SCPD’s 2024 traffic stop dataset, which contains 53 variables covering more than 158,000 stops. 

Report Highlights: 

• While Latinos make up just 22% of Suffolk County’s population, they accounted for 29% of all traffic stops.
   
• The data also shows that Latino drivers face harsher treatment once pulled over. When stopped for the same reasons as white drivers, Latinos were more likely to receive a summons rather than a warning, across nearly every stop category.
   
•  Latinos were also searched at a lower “hit rate”, meaning police were more likely to conduct searches of Latinos without finding contraband, suggesting lower thresholds of suspicion. 
   
• The report also found that Latinos are more often ordered out of their vehicles without clear justification.