A road map for the lawful use of stop-and-frisk in Philadelphia – and elsewhere

Police officers talk to students during a recruiting event at Temple University. Robert Klemko/The Washington Post via Getty Images by Michael D. White, Arizona State University and Henry F. Fradella, Arizona State University Violent crime, and how to reduce it, dominated the 2023 Philadelphia mayoral campaign. As a candidate, Cherelle Parker suggested she would support using stop-and-frisk to combat gun violence. After being elected, Parker reiterated her stance, but emphasized “there is no place for unconstitutional stop-and-frisk.” Philadelphia Mayor-elect Cherelle Parker. Ryan Collerd/AP Photo The ACLU of Philadelphia objected to the incoming mayor’s position during the campaign. The civil liberties advocacy organization pointed to the lawsuit it brought against the Philadelphia Police Department in 2010, stop data that continued to show persistent racial disparities, and the lack of empirical support for the effectiveness of the strategy. As criminologists with expertise in policing and law, we previously explained that stop-and-frisk can be both constitutional and useful if carefully controlled. We agree with the Philadelphia Inquirer observation that this “requires a change in culture and accountability.” Below, we explain what stop-and-frisk is and how it has been used in Philadelphia. Then we describe those critically important controls. What is stop-and-frisk? In the...