Report: Data from 2022 California traffic stops shows 'pervasive pattern' of racial profiling

LOS ANGELES — Black people were responsible for nearly 13% of traffic stops in California in 2022, far above their 5% share of the state's population, according to a report released Wednesday under a law designed to prevent racial profiling of drivers and pedestrians by to tackle the police.

The annual report, compiled by California's Racial and Identity Profiling Advisory Board, for the first time included data from all law enforcement agencies in the state.

Andrea Guerrero, co-chair of the board and executive director of Alliance San Diego, said in a statement that the “scale of data California collects allows us to definitively say that profiling exists — it is a widespread pattern across the state .”

“We must now focus on the hard work of ending profiling by bringing all stakeholders to the table to identify and change the policies and practices that enable it,” Guerrero said.

The council's report includes data from nearly 4.6 million vehicle and pedestrian stops by officers from 535 law enforcement agencies in 2022. Another 25 departments each reported conducting zero stops in 2022.

The report includes what officers consider to be the race, ethnicity, gender and disability status of the people they stop, so the state can better identify and analyze bias in policing.

The data includes how officers perceive an individual's race or gender, even if it is different from how the person identifies, because the officer's perception is what drives bias, the report said.

The council's work informs agencies, the state police department training board and state legislators as they change policy and work to reduce racial disparities and bias in policing.

Police reported that Hispanic or Latino people made up nearly 43% of traffic stops in 2002, and whites made up more than 32%.

According to 2021 census estimates, Black or African American people made up just 5.4% of California's population of about 39 million, while whites made up about 35.8%. Hispanic or Latino people made up about 32% of the state's population that year.

The advisory council used 2021 population figures because this was the most recent data available at the time of their analysis.