Closeup of police lights at night

Snapshot of traffic enforcement in Philadelphia

We, as Black and brown people, are witnesses to the racism every day in the Philadelphia Police Department and the city and the country.

—Elder Melanie DuBouse

What is the snapshot of traffic enforcement in the last year?

How many traffic stops
did Philadelphia police make in the last year?

From the start of Jul 2023 through the end of Jun 2024, police made a total of 109,461 traffic stops in Philadelphia, or an average of 9,122 traffic stops per month.

In the last year, what were the racial disparities
in traffic stops by Philadelphia police? How does the city population compare to who was stopped?

Racial Demographics of Traffic Stops vs. City Population from Jul 2023 through Jun 2024

Percent of traffic stops
Percent of city population
When Philadelphia police intrude
during traffic stops, they do not find any contraband
most of the time. From the start of Jul 2023 through the end of Jun 2024, Philadelphia police did not find any contraband 86.6% of the time they intruded on people and/or vehicles.

How did traffic stops change after Driving Equality?

Driving Equality came into effect on March 3, 2022. In the year after
Driving Equality, traffic stops decreased by 6.8% from 111,810 stops to 104,211 stops, compared to 2021 (see What is Driving Equality? to learn more about these date comparisons). Concerningly, racial disparities in traffic stops have persisted.

Racial Demographics of Traffic Stops Before and After Driving Equality vs. City Population

Before Driving Equality
After Driving Equality
City population
In the year after Driving Equality, Philadelphia police stopped 8,208 fewer Black drivers and 923 fewer white drivers, compared to 2021.

Number of Traffic Stops by Race Before and After Driving Equality

Before Driving Equality
After Driving Equality

Traffic Stops in Philadelphia

Please note: This dashboard shows public data from the Philadelphia Police Department, which may at times be incomplete, unreliable, or inaccurate. Learn more about the data limitations.

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