NYPD Faces New Lawsuit Over Racial Bias in Traffic Stops

By Rob Redding

Editor & Publisher

NEW YORK, Feb. 10, 2026, 8:30 p.m. — The NYPD is once again under fire, this time facing a federal lawsuit accusing the department of disproportionately stopping and searching Black and Hispanic drivers without probable cause.

Filed by the New York Civil Liberties Union and Bronx Defender Services, the lawsuit claims officers are racially profiling drivers during traffic stops, with Black motorists being 10 times more likely and Hispanics six times more likely to be searched than white drivers.

Plaintiffs include Justin Cohen, a Westchester resident, and Christopher Oliver, a New Yorker, both of whom allege they were subjected to unlawful searches with no contraband found. Cohen says he was pulled over, ordered out of his car, and searched without consent and a ticket for speeding he later had dismissed. Oliver reports four separate searches, all without warrants or tickets, and no evidence recovered.

The lawsuit highlights a troubling trend. Of more than 2 million traffic stops since 2022, Black drivers accounted for 32 percent and Hispanics made up 30 percent. Yet, the likelihood of being searched was drastically higher for minority drivers, the suit alleges.

“This practice violates constitutional rights and perpetuates racial bias,” said a lawyer for the plaintiffs. The suit seeks to block the NYPD’s stop-and-search policies, declare them illegal, and demand damages for Cohen and Oliver.

This legal action comes three years after the department was mandated to document each traffic stop and enforcement action. Critics say this requirement has failed to curb discriminatory practices.

The NYPD has yet to comment on the lawsuit.

Rob Redding is the author of No. 1 best selling book Black Power in the Age of Artificial Supremacy Featuring Redding-Shim Kwet Yung . He is the bestselling author of 18 books. He is the host of Redding News Review Unrestricted and creator of ReddingNewsReview.com. He is also an emerging visual artist who lives and teaches at two colleges in New York City.