For details on how we define vehicle stops, see “More information” under the first chart in this section.
Watertown, CT 2022
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VEHICLE STOPS
Vehicle stops refer to when an officer stopped a member of the public who was driving.
VEHICLE STOPS BY RACIAL GROUP
According to Watertown Police Department data on vehicle stops recorded between 2013 and 2020:
- 7.2% of all drivers officers stopped were Black.
- 7.6% of all drivers officers stopped were as Latinx.
- 83% of all drivers officers stopped were White.
- 2.4% of all drivers officers stopped were recorded as Other.
More information
What does this show?
Each bar on the right shows the percentage of the total stops recorded each year that were people of one racial group. The bars to the left, and the dotted line, show the average percentage of stops recorded for each racial group for the entire report period. Hovering over a bar shows the number of stops that makes up that percentage.
Unlike the analyses conducted for pedestrian stops and use of force incidents, CPE does not directly compare vehicle stops to local demographics. This is because local driving populations may include non-resident drivers who may have a different racial makeup than local Census data. However, if the share of people stopped while driving differs significantly from the resident population, the difference is likely not fully explained by a different racial makeup of non-resident drivers. It may indicate that there are racial disparities in vehicle stops due to police behaviors or policies.
How was this calculated?
We took the average number of stops recorded per year and calculated the percentage of stops that were made of people of each racial group. See the Data Notes tab for information on how we define racial groups.
We measure a vehicle stop as a single record of a driver being stopped by police, regardless of the number of officers or passengers involved. We recognize that departments may collect vehicle stop data in other ways (for example, not distinguishing between searches of drivers and passengers). Our guidance on collecting data has more information on how to effectively report vehicle stops.
We generally use all vehicle stops data provided by departments, including incomplete years of data. However, certain analyses require complete years of data, so time periods may vary across charts.
Data required for this analysis:
- Incident unique identifier
- Date of incident
- Driver's racial group
The total number of vehicle stops recorded each year with complete data varied from a low of 1,106 in 2015 to a high of 2,923 in 2019.
COMPARING SEARCH RATES AT VEHICLE STOPS
According to Watertown Police Department data, once vehicles were stopped:
- Latinx drivers were searched 4.4 times as often as White drivers.
- Black drivers were searched 4.2 times as often as White drivers.
More information
What does this show?
This visualization shows, out of the same number of stopped drivers, how many drivers in each racial group were then searched.
How was this calculated?
We first divided the number of stops that involved a search for each racial group by the number of stops of that racial group. We then multiplied that number by 100 to get the per 100 stops rate.
See the Data Notes tab for information on how we define racial groups.
Data required for this analysis:
- Incident unique identifier
- Date of incident
- Driver's racial group
- Search(es) conducted
- Reason for search
CONTRABAND FOUND AND NOT FOUND IN VEHICLE STOP SEARCHES
One common explanation for racial disparities in stops and searches is that members of some racial groups may be more likely to have contraband. To assess this, this analysis examines how often officers recorded discovering contraband such as alcohol or stolen goods in searches of drivers in each racial group.
- Black drivers who were searched possessed contraband such as weapons, drugs, or stolen goods less frequently than White drivers.
When discovery rates are lower for searches of people experiencing disparities, this may indicate that officers more frequently decide to search members of this group at a lower level of suspicion. When discovery rates are relatively similar across racial groups, it suggests that significant racial disparities in stop and search rates cannot be justified by differences in the outcomes of those searches. It’s also important to note that the discovery of contraband at vehicle stops is generally rare and not indicative of a serious crime. For details on the types of contraband most often discovered, please see “More Information” below.
More information
What does this show?
One common explanation for why members of some racial groups are stopped or searched at different rates is that they may be more likely to have contraband. To assess this, we looked at whether searches of drivers of different racial groups resulted in contraband being found at different rates. For each racial group, we separated all searches into the percentage that resulted in contraband found and the percentage that resulted in no contraband found.
The darker portion of each bar (on the bottom) shows the percentage of all searches of drivers of that racial group that ended with contraband found, while the lighter portion of the bar (at the top) shows the percentage where no contraband was found. Hovering over a bar shows the number of searches that makes up that percentage. Each bar at the top shows the total number of searches recorded for that racial group.
It is important to compare this chart to the percentage of vehicle stops of each racial group, above, to identify which groups may be experiencing a high volume of stops that may be driving high totals of contraband found.
How was this calculated?
We took the total recorded searches of drivers of each racial group and calculated the percentage that did and did not reveal contraband. Police are typically required to search people they arrest and vehicles they impound or tow. When the search reason is provided in the LEA’s data, these searches are excluded from this analysis because they are not necessarily based on an officer’s discretionary evaluation of whether they expect to find contraband.
See the Data Notes tab for information on how we define racial groups.
Data required for this analysis:
- Incident unique identifier
- Date of incident
- Driver's racial group
- Search(es) conducted
- Reason for search
- Contraband found in each search
VEHICLE STOP REASONS BY RACIAL GROUP
This analysis investigates which stop reasons are most often recorded for drivers of each racial group and overall.
- 9.4% of stops of Black drivers were recorded as Equipment / License / Registration Stops, compared to 7.4% of stops of White drivers.
Stops that are not based on any direct risks to road safety or evidence of criminal activity—such as equipment stops and license or registration checks—are less likely to be efficient uses of departmental resources and more likely to contribute to racial disparities. Localities are increasingly seeking to eliminate these kinds of low-level stops because they unnecessarily subject drivers to harmful outcomes including fines and fees, searches, and use of force.
More information
What does this show?
Each colored bar shows the percentage of all stops of drivers of that racial group for which that stop reason was recorded. Hovering over a colored bar shows the number of stops that make up that percentage. Each gray bar on the right shows the total number of stops that were made for a given reason. Any stop reason that was recorded in a high number of stops, or that has large disparities, will influence the racial makeup of vehicle stops overall.
How was this calculated?
We took the total recorded stops of drivers of each racial group and calculated the percentage made for each reason. We then grouped these percentages according to stop reason.
We combine categories of reasons for easier interpretation. See the Data Notes tab for details on how these categories are created and how racial groups are defined.
Data required for this analysis:
- Incident unique identifier
- Date of incident
- Driver's racial group
- Stop reason
VEHICLE STOP OUTCOMES BY RACIAL GROUP
This analysis investigates which stop outcomes are most often recorded for drivers of each racial group and overall. According to Watertown Police Department data:
- Once stopped, Black drivers were arrested at about the same rate as White drivers. They were released with a warning or no action taken at similar rates to White drivers who were stopped.
- Once stopped, Latinx drivers were arrested at about the same rate as White drivers. They were released with a warning or no action taken 10 percentage points less often than White drivers who were stopped.
Drivers who are more likely to be stopped despite not posing any clear risk to public safety are unnecessarily exposed to a greater risk of harmful stop outcomes including searches, arrests, and use of force. Reducing these kinds of low-level stops can help reduce racial disparities in policing and free up departmental resources for appropriate public safety needs.
More information
What does this show?
Each colored bar shows the percentage of all stops of drivers of that racial group for which that stop outcome was recorded. Hovering over a bar shows the number of stops that makes up that percentage. Each gray bar shows the total number of stops for which that stop outcome was recorded.
How was this calculated?
We took the total recorded stops of drivers in each racial group and calculated the percentages for which each enforcement outcome was recorded. We then grouped these percentages according to enforcement outcome.
We combine categories of reasons for easier interpretation. See the Data Notes tab for details on how these categories are created and how racial groups are defined.
Data required for this analysis:
- Incident unique identifier
- Date of incident
- Driver's racial group
- Stop outcome (e.g. arrest, citation, or warning/no action)
VEHICLE STOPS BY WORK UNIT AND RACIAL GROUP
Vehicle Stop Totals by Work Unit, Separated by Racial Group
The Watertown Police Department (WPD) did not have work unit data because the town of Watertown was too small for WPD officers to be sorted into distinct work units. For details on data required for this analysis, see “More information” below.
More information
What does this show?
“Work unit” describes the work groups within a department. It can refer to the assignment of the officer making the stop (e.g. Detective Unit, Narcotics, Traffic, etc.), or the geographic areas where stops are made (i.e. precincts, districts, zones, etc.).
Each colored bar shows the percentage of stops recorded by each work unit of drivers of each racial group. The Multiple Work Units category, if used, represents stops involving officers from two or more work units. Hovering over a bar shows the number of stops that make up that percentage. The grey bars on the right show the total number of stops recorded by each work unit. Any work unit that records a large number of stops or records large racial disparities will influence overall racial disparities in vehicle searches. If disparities are present among most work units, or are severe in some work units, the different racial makeup of various neighborhoods is likely not the whole explanation for the observed disparity.
How was this calculated?
We took the total recorded stops and first separated them by the work unit that made the stop. We then calculated what percentage was recorded for people of each racial group.
The “Other Work Units” category, if used, combines the work units recording less than 2% of stops. See the Data Notes tab for information on how we define racial groups.
Data required for this analysis:
- Incident unique identifier
- Date of incident
- Driver's racial group
- Officer assignment, beat, precinct, district, or other designated police service zone
