Chicago police traffic stops plunge, again, but Black and Latino drivers still get pulled over far more
<p>The Chicago Police Department made fewer traffic stops in 2025 than in the previous year and less than half the stops it made in 2023, according to a new report by the Illinois Department of Transportation, but Chicago police officers continued to pull over Black and Latino drivers at much higher rates than white drivers.</p><p>The Chicago Police Department reported 224,851 traffic stops in 2025, about 23.3% fewer than in 2024 and 58.0% less than in 2023.</p><p>IDOT uses two methods, or benchmarks, to measure the rates at which drivers are stopped. Those attempt to estimate the driving population or the total mileage driven within the jurisdiction of each law enforcement agency.
Reported by 1 outlet — Chicago Sun-Times. See all sources ↓
<p>The Chicago Police Department made fewer traffic stops in 2025 than in the previous year and less than half the stops it made in 2023, according to a new report by the Illinois Department of Transportation, but Chicago police officers continued to pull over Black and Latino drivers at much higher rates than white drivers.</p><p>The Chicago Police Department reported 224,851 traffic stops in 2025, about 23.3% fewer than in 2024 and 58.0% less than in 2023.</p><p>IDOT uses two methods, or benchmarks, to measure the rates at which drivers are stopped. Those attempt to estimate the driving population or the total mileage driven within the jurisdiction of each law enforcement agency. By one measure, Black drivers were 3.6 times more likely than white drivers and Latino drivers were 2.85 times more likely than white drivers to be stopped by the Chicago police last year. By another measure, Black drivers were 5.6 times more likely and Latino drivers 6.9 times more likely to get stopped.</p><p>Most traffic stops made by the Chicago police last year, about 67.6%, were for non-moving violations, according to IDOT.</p><p>Those stops in particular have drawn flak, with some critics contending that police officers routinely use minor traffic violations as a pretext to stop drivers — and sometimes to search their vehicles — in hopes of uncovering more serious crimes.</p><p>A lot of traffic stops in Chicago are for things like expired plates, tinted windows and broken taillights, said Maya Simkin, an Appleseed Network Collaboration for Justice Fellow with Chicago Appleseed and a member of the Free2Move Coalition.
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- <p>The Chicago Police Department made fewer traffic stops in 2025 than in the previous year and less than half the stops it made in 2023, according to a new report by the Illinois Department of Transportation, but Chicago police officers continued to pull over Black and Latino drivers at much higher rates than white drivers.</p><p>The Chicago Police Department reported 224,851 traffic stops in 2025, about 23.3% fewer than in 2024 and 58.0% less than in 2023.</p><p>IDOT uses two methods, or benchmarks, to measure the rates at which drivers are stopped. Those attempt to estimate the driving population or the total mileage driven within the jurisdiction of each law enforcement agency.
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Chicago police traffic stops plunge, again, but Black and Latino drivers still get pulled over far more
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