California annual report alleged police targeted black people more than white people in 2021

An annual report released by the California Racial and Identity Profiling Advisory Board last week showed law enforcement officials in the state more heavily targeted black people than white people when it came to traffic stops, use of force, and other factors.

The latest report from RIPA, which examined police data from the largest law enforcement agencies in the state from January 1, 2021 to December 31, 2021, revealed an ongoing trend in policing that seems to point to a tendency to target black individuals at higher rates than their white counterparts.

“The data show that racial and identity disparities persist year after year,” the report reads. “The Board remains committed to analyzing and highlighting these disparities to compel evidence-driven strategies for reforming policing and eliminating racial and identity profiling in California.”

The report included several recommendations to the California Commission on Police Officer Standards and Training (POST), including the addition of five new, more diverse members to its board to offer more perspective on police training and racial profiling.

RIPA also recommended adding more hours of racial and identity profiling to police training, and making some training modules that are currently voluntary a requirement instead.

“The annual RIPA data suggests that the current trainings are not effective at combating racial and identity profiling because the disparities, particularly towards those who are perceived as Black, persist,” reads the report.

RIPA also asks in the report for POST to provide RIPA with an update on how the implementation of their recommendations is affecting training and policing as it moves to decrease racial and identity profiling in the state.