New state report shows Black teens are searched at nearly six times the rate of their white counterparts during police stops.
A recent report from California’s Racial and Identity Profiling Advisory Board has revealed concerning racial disparities in law enforcement practices. The study, which analysed data from 58 agencies across the state, found that police were over twice as likely to use force against individuals perceived to be Black during vehicle and pedestrian stops in 2021, compared to those perceived as white.
The annual report, released on Tuesday, offers a comprehensive review of over 3.1 million stops made by officers from both large and smaller law enforcement departments. These stops, which included pedestrian and vehicle encounters, were analysed to shed light on potential racial and ethnic biases in policing.
The data revealed that in 2021, over 42% of the individuals stopped were perceived as Hispanic or Latino, 30% were perceived as white, and 15% were perceived as Black. Alarmingly, officers conducted searches on people they perceived as Black at a rate 2.2 times higher than those perceived as white. For teenagers aged 15 to 17, Black teens were searched at nearly six times the rate of white teens.
This report highlights the persistent issue of racial profiling within California’s law enforcement agencies and raises critical questions about the treatment of minority communities. It also calls for greater accountability and transparency in policing, with new data collection protocols being introduced to help mitigate these racial disparities in the future.
