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Investigatory Stop Reports: Pat Down

What will you find here? 

Interactions between police and members of the public are critical in building trust in law enforcement. A pat down is a law enforcement tool defined by the Chicago Police Department (CPD) as “ a limited search during an Investigatory Stop in which the sworn member conducts a pat down of the outer clothing of a person for weapons for the protection of the sworn member or others in the area.” Details on pat downs conducted in the course of an investigatory stop are included in this dashboard to provide transparency about the frequency, locations, demographics, and outcomes of pat downs conducted by CPD. 

Questions that can be answered using data in this dashboard include: 

  • What percent of investigatory stops led to discovery of a firearm, narcotics, or other public safety concern listed? 
  • What are the main factors that led to pat downs of non-white individuals? 
  • What percent of pat downs are conducted with subject consent? 

Data Sources 

All information presented in these dashboards is based on data stored in CPD databases and Chicago Integrated Personnel and Payroll Systems (CHIPPS), the City’s human resources information system. Records begin January 1, 2016, and the data is typically refreshed daily between 4:00PM and 11:59PM CST. Data is current through the date of last update (listed in the top right corner of the dashboards).