State police unveil results of traffic stop study
HERSHEY — This week, the Pennsylvania State Police and Dr. Robin Engel, senior vice president of the National Policing Institute, presented an analysis of data collected from all trooper-initiated traffic stops in 2022 across the commonwealth.
The data collection program is designed to identify patterns and trends in traffic stops and outcomes, and identify opportunities for improvement in policy, training, and supervision. Dr. Engel is a leading academic in the field of criminal justice and criminology, with expertise in empirical assessments of police behavior, police use of force and policecommunity relations.
“Dr. Engel and her research team analyzed demographic and other information gathered from more than 440,000 trooper-initiated traffic stops last year,” said Col. Christopher Paris, PSP commissioner. “The data shows our department has made great progress in these outcomes over the years, and we’re proud of the work our troopers continue to do. We appreciate the partnership with the National Policing Institute as we move forward with one of the most comprehensive and high-quality data collection efforts in the country.”
“The Pennsylvania State Police should be commended for reestablishing their comprehensive, voluntary data collection system, and these findings should inspire confidence among commonwealth residents toward the leadership and troopers of the Pennsylvania State Police,” Dr. Engel said.
Among the key findings from the 2022 data analysis is that variables such as the reason for the stop and evidence discovered are the strongest predictors of post-stop outcomes, such as warnings, citations, arrests and discretionary searches. The report showed no detectable, substantive racial or ethnic disparities in warnings, citations or arrests during traffic
stops.
Dr. Engel added, “PSP’s rate of contraband seizures during discretionary searches is among the highest in the nation. Our review of the PSP’s criminal interdiction training also suggests that their focus on both effective and equitable practices is a promising approach and serves as a national model.”
“This data is a valuable tool in our toolbox as we strive to carry out our duties with integrity, respect and trust in accordance with our department’s core values,” added Col. Paris. “Coupled with continued improvements in training, and our enhanced, more userfriendly, citizen complaint procedures, this data will help guide us as we provide the professional police services that residents of
this commonwealth not only expect but deserve.”
The Pennsylvania State Police became one of the first police agencies to voluntarily collect traffic-stop
information when the department first partnered with Dr. Engel in 1999 and continued voluntary reporting of traffic stops through 2010. The PSP reinitiated data collection in
2021 for all trooper-initiated traffic stops, with the initial year of the program focused on improving data collection and addressing data quality issues when identified.