(KGTV) - African American drivers across the state of California were stopped by law enforcement at more than two times the per capita rate of whites and searched three times as often, according to a report released by the state's Racial and Identity Profiling Advisory Board, which analyzed data from several law enforcement agencies in the state.
According to the report, in 2018 the San Diego Police Department had 1,731 sworn personnel with 15 reported profiling allegations from civilians, representing 20 percent of its total complaints, ranking it the second highest percentage out of all the seven state agencies it was compared to. In 2018, the San Diego County Sheriff's Department had 2,572 sworn personnel with one reported profiling allegation, representing 11 percent of its total complaints, ranking it the fifth highest percentage of the seven state agencies it was compared to.
In December, San Diego Police Chief David Nisleit reaffirmed his commitment to unbiased policing amid backlash over an ACLU-commissioned report that suggested that minorities are stopped at higher rates. According to the ACLU, records analyzed from SDPD and the San Diego County Sheriff's Department showed a pattern of discriminatory policing.
SDPD is now awaiting the release of a new, separate report that it commissioned through the Center for Policing Equity, a nonprofit that looks at data about police officers stopping people in the field. The report is expected to be published sometime in 2020.
10News contacted SDPD and the San Diego County Sheriff's Department about the new state report. SDPD is still reviewing it. The Sheriff's Department wrote in part, “The data provided by the state Racial and Identity Profiling Advisory Board does not reflect what occurs in San Diego County. The San Diego County Sheriff's Department stops African Americans at the lowest rate out of any agency who is participating in the collection of data.”
