The widespread practice of stopping residents for what was deemed “suspicious” behavior, often called “stop-and-frisk,” was the defining tactic of the New York Police Department for a decade, pursued in the face of intensifying protests and dwindling crime, defended against civil-rights challenges, even declared indispensable to the continued safety of the streets.

It has now all but vanished.

Stops by Week January 2012 Stops peak with more than 16,000 per week. August 2013 A judge rules rules the tactic as employed is unconstitutional. Late 2013 Stops drop by more than 90% to fewer than 2,000 per week.

It faded out at the end of the mayoral administration that promoted it so enthusiastically and the beginning of the administration that rode a wave of anger over it to a landslide victory. But as tensions with police rise anew, the grass-roots groups that opposed it are left wondering what the victory means.

Stops by Race * As of 2010.

The stop-and-frisk tactic was employed exhaustively, but not evenly. The police said they targeted high-crime areas, and in much of New York, the practice was little known. But in poor and minority neighborhoods, it became a part of everyday life. No longer.

A Steep Drop in Areas Once Targeted

Stops in Central Brooklyn First Half 2012 Last Half 2013 Each dot shows one stop. White White Black Black Hispanic Hispanic Asian Asian Other Other

Central Brooklyn’s housing projects were a key focus of the strategy. In Precinct 77, police were making 75 to 100 stops a day in January 2012. It’s now down to a relative few.

Stops in Harlem First Half 2012 Last Half 2013

In Harlem, reported stops are down 96 percent, and minor drug charges are down 26 percent.

Stops in West Bronx First Half 2012 Last Half 2013

In the West Bronx, City Councilman Fernando Cabrera says he is getting fewer complaints about the police. But defense lawyers say the police continue to be confrontational.

Stops in Staten Island First Half 2012 Last Half 2013

Precinct 120 on Staten Island, where a man was killed in a confrontation with the police, recorded the smallest drop in stops, about 70 percent, and now ranks highest in the city.

Has It Really Ended?

Many who live and work in the neighborhoods say they see scant evidence of change, and some say the police are simply not reporting some or all of their stops. The police did not respond to requests for comment.

But something is clearly different: Misdemeanor drug and weapon charges, the most common arrests to result from a stop, are down considerably. Advocates say misdemeanor marijuana charges, which require that the drug is in plain sight, are a bellwether, because the police ordered thousands to empty pockets, and arrested them.

Misdemeanor Arrests by Year

Most other categories of crime that the police say are connected to “proactive” policing are down as well, while misdemeanors that don’t fit that category are not.

Yet the community groups are not celebrating the end of the policy they maligned so vigorously. “The engagment of police with New Yorkers still allows such a high level of discretion that we can see the same tactics, they’re just not called stop-and-frisk,” said Sharon Stapel, executive director of of the New York City Anti-Violence Project.

What Happens Without Stop-and-Frisk?

“No question about it, violent crime will go up,” Police Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly said in August 2013. But in fact, violent crime is down across the city in 2014. Although a connection between stops and crime has not been conclusively demonstrated, here is what has happened in four neighborhoods where stop rates were once very high.

Stops by Year *