How effective is a stop, question, and frisk (SQF) approach to deterring crime? When looking at the numbers, what factors would have to be considered? If SQF is effective, can you think of any negative aspects?

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

One study done on SQF looked at data from the New York City Police Department and found that SQFs exerted a significant yet modest deterrent on crime. Some of the questions researchers had to ask when analyzing the data were whether any alternative explanations could be used to explain why crime had gone down. If the numbers show a downward turn, it is possible that crime was already trending downward, or some other function could explain it. For this particular study of the NYPD, the researchers also chose to drill down to smaller areas to analyze behavior in specific areas, looked at whether SQF reduced crime just at that point or whether crime was reduced at later points in time, and looked at weekly intervals of data rather than months or years. By focusing on the specific rather than the general, the numbers could say something different and might be easier to attribute to SQF than across a larger area where more possible factors could be in play. Students can talk about negative aspects of stop, question, and frisk from the news and the real-life controversy it has produced: SQF tends to target minority neighborhoods; therefore, minorities are much more likely to be subjected to SQF than white people. While SQF might help crime trend downward, it can also be considered a violation of rights, particularly because most of the time, SQFs don't reveal any wrongdoing, which means the action could be considered an illegal search of an innocent citizen. These complaints lead to worse relationships between neighborhoods and the police and can lead to a greater racial divide.