The Legal Aid Society and the Legal Defense Fund today condemned the New York City Police Department (NYPD) for their failure to properly adhere to a Court Order requiring officers to complete a stop report form after every Terry stop, defined as when an “officer detains a civilian such that the person is not free to leave.”

According to a report released today by the NYPD’s Court-appointed Independent Monitor, only 59% of Terry stops were documented in 2023, and only 69% were documented in 2022.

The Monitor’s report stated, “The NYPD appears to be headed in the wrong direction and must take immediate steps, including discipline when appropriate, to correct this failure to properly document Terry stops.”

“The NYPD’s chronic underreporting of their encounters with civilians — which has only worsened since 2022 — shows a startling lack of interest in complying with court orders intended to keep New Yorkers safe and informed,” said Karina Tefft, an attorney with Legal Aid’s Cop Accountability Project. “Without accurate recording of Terry stops, it is impossible for the Monitor to assess compliance accurately.”

“The NYPD has the necessary training and tools to record Terry stops properly, and there is no excuse, aside from willful negligence, for their noncompliance,” she continued. “There must be accountability and oversight for NYPD officers and supervisors failing to record stops.”

The Legal Aid Society and the Legal Defense Fund represent a class of plaintiffs who sued the NYPD for abusive stop and frisk and trespass arrests in one of the three consolidated cases that led to the appointment of the NYPD Monitor and the publication of this report. Selendy Gay PLLC has been participating in the case as pro bono counsel.

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