Traffic Stops in Philadelphia

Glossary

These terms and their definitions relate to vehicle stops in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Terms, definitions, and relevant case law may differ in other jurisdictions. 

Contraband

Any item that police consider to be evidence of a crime, including drugs and some weapons.

Contraband Hit Rate

How often police find any amount of contraband on drivers, on any passengers, and/or in the vehicle itself, relative to the number of drivers, passengers, and/or vehicles intruded upon by police.

Defender

The Defender Association of Philadelphia

Disparity

A difference in outcomes or treatment, particularly one that is considered unfair.

District

Philadelphia Police District, a numbered geographical division in the city to which police personnel are assigned. There are currently 20 police districts.

Division

Philadelphia Police Detective Division, a broad geographical division of the city to which detectives are assigned. There are six Detective Divisions: East, Southwest, South, Northwest, Northeast, and Central.

Frisk

An open-handed pat down of the outer layer of a person’s clothing or a physical inspection of the passenger compartment in a vehicle and any unlocked containers within reach of a driver or passenger. Police may only conduct a frisk if they have reasonable suspicion that the person committed a crime and can articulate specific facts that make them believe a person is armed and dangerous. If during the frisk the officer feels an object or material that is immediately apparent to them as contraband, they may conduct a search. If that search reveals contraband, the officer can confiscate it and arrest the person. In this dashboard, any frisk of a driver, passenger, and/or vehicle during one traffic stop is calculated as a single frisk.

Frisk Rate

How often police frisk drivers, any passengers, and/or the vehicle itself, relative to the number of vehicle stops by police.

HIN

The City of Philadelphia’s Vision Zero High Injury Network

Intrusion

A frisk and/or search by police during traffic stops. The term “intrusion” encapsulates a frisk, a search, or both. After the 2020 PA Supreme Court decision in Commonwealth v. Keith Alexander, police now cannot search a vehicle without a warrant in most situations and, as a result, PPD practice shifted towards frisking. The term “intrusion” captures both police practices. In this dashboard, any frisk and/or search of a driver, passenger, and/or vehicle during one traffic stop is calculated as a single intrusion.

Intrusion Rate

How often police frisk and/or search drivers, any passengers, and/or the vehicle itself, relative to the number of vehicle stops by police.

MVC

Pennsylvania Motor Vehicle Code. See Title 75 Pa.C.S.A.

Nonoperational

This dashboard defines non-operational violations as those MVC violations that are not the result of the manner of operating the vehicle. Examples include window tint, a broken tail light, or expired inspection or registration.

Operational

This dashboard defines operational violations as those MVC violations that occur based on the manner in which a vehicle is operated. Examples include speeding, failure to obey a traffic signal, illegal passing of another vehicle, or speeding.

PPD

Philadelphia Police Department

Pretextual Stop

A stop by law enforcement, often in the context of stopping a vehicle for a traffic code violation, in order to perform a speculative criminal investigation unrelated to the traffic infraction.

PSA

Police Service Area of the Philadelphia Police Department, the smallest geographical subdivision of a police district to which police personnel are assigned.

Search

An examination of a person and/or their property or premises, which a person would reasonably consider private, by law enforcement with the intent of discovering evidence of the commission of a crime. Police must have probable cause to conduct a search. A search may legally be conducted upon arrest, upon issuance of a warrant, and in some exigent or emergency circumstances. In this dashboard, any search of a driver, passenger, and/or vehicle during one traffic stop is calculated as a single search.

Search Rate

How often police search drivers, any passengers, and/or vehicles, relative to the number of vehicle stops by police.

Traffic Stop

When police stop a vehicle for a violation of the motor vehicle code. A stop is any detention in which the person stopped is not immediately free to leave, such as when police pull over a vehicle for a known or suspected traffic violation.