Racial and Bias-based Profiling

The New York City Police Department is committed both to the impartial enforcement of law and to the protection of constitutional rights. To reinforce these commitments and to ensure that all members of the service engage only in constitutionally sound policing practices, the department prohibits the use of racial and bias-based profiling in law enforcement actions. Conducting enforcement activities in an unbiased manner fosters and strengthens relationships between police officers and members of the community, and inspires confidence in, and support for, policing efforts.

Police-initiated enforcement actions, including, but not limited to, arrests, Level 3 Terry stops, frisks, searches, summonses, and motor vehicle stops, must be based on the standards required by the Fourth and Fourteenth Amendments of the U.S. Constitution, Sections 11 and 12 of Article 1 of the New York State Constitution, Section 14-151 of the New York City Administrative Code, and other applicable laws.

When an officer's decision to initiate enforcement action against a person is motivated even in part by a person's actual or perceived race, color, ethnicity, national origin, gender, or age that enforcement action violates department policy unless the officer's decision is based on a specific and reliable suspect description that includes not just race, color, ethnicity, national origin, gender, or age but other identifying characteristics or information. When an officer carries out a stop based on reasonable suspicion that a person fits such a description, the officer may consider the race, color, ethnicity, national origin, gender, or age of the suspect, just as the officer may consider the suspect’s height or hair color.

If you, or someone you know, feel they have been the subject of racial and/or bias-based profiling by NYPD officers, based on race, gender, sexual orientation, national origin or any other actual or perceived protected class status, a complaint should be filed in any one of three ways:

1. File a complaint with the NYPD's Internal Affairs Bureau (IAB) by telephone at (212) 741-8401, or by email at IAB@nypd.org;
2. File a complaint in person at any police precinct or facility; and/or
3. File a complaint with the Civilian Complaint Review Board (CCRB) by calling 1-800-341-2272, or by visiting the CCRB website, or you can file a CCRB complaint at any NYPD police facility.