Stop-and-frisk numbers have plunged 80 percent in the past few months, in comparison with around this time last year, according to New York Police Department data, the Associated Press reports.
For the months of July, August and September, there were slightly more than 21,000 stops, since the police changed their training methods after heavy criticism about the practice. Last year, during the same time period, there were 106,000 stops, the AP notes.
However, the NYPD states that they are recovering fewer weapons. Last year they seized 198 firearms and 1,016 knives, while this year they only secured 99 guns and 463 knives.
According to police chief spokesman John McCarthy, there’s no “predetermined or correct number of stops.”
"Ultimately, police officers make their decisions based on real-time observations from the field—and those stops are based on reasonable suspicion," he said.
Read more at the Associated Press.