Study shows California law enforcement agencies are more likely to arrest black teenagers

An annual report released Jan. 1 by the Racial and Identity Profiling Advisory Board (RIPA) has many observations about California law enforcement officials. This is the sixth report since RIPA’s inception in 2016, collecting data on overall policing and ways to eliminate unlawful practices.

“Over the past four years, data collected under the Racial and Identity Profiling Act has provided empirical evidence showing disparities in policing across California,” the report said. “This year’s data shows the same trends in differences for all aspects of law enforcement stops, from the reason for the stop, to the actions taken during the stop, to the results of the stop.”

Covering stop data that occurred between January 1, 2021 and December 31, 2021, the report analyzes information from 58 law enforcement agencies and the negative impact of citizens’ interactions with the police, with a focus on youth.

More than 3.1 million stops were reported in the 2021 period. In terms of “perceived” race or ethnicity, police authorities state that 42.2% Hispanic/Latin(x), 30% White, 15% Black, 5.3% Asian, 4.8% Middle Eastern/South Asian, 1% mixed race, 0.5% were. Pacific Islander and 0.3% Native American. Additionally, 72.1% were cis males and 27.5% were cis females, accounting for 99.7% of all stops.

Reasons for a “stop” by law enforcement are either a traffic violation (86.6%) or a reasonable suspicion of involvement in criminal activity (10.5%). Black people had the highest proportion of stops for “reasonable suspicion” at 16.2%, but also the lowest proportion of stops for traffic violations (80.5%).

The RIPA Board found that Black and Hispanic/Latino(x) people were more likely to use violence against them compared to White people. Black teenagers between the ages of 10-14 and 15-17 were most likely to be searched by police (20.1%), arrested (17.9%), handcuffed (15.4%) and “by order of a vehicle removed” (7.6%).

Black youths were detained at the curb or in a squad car 36.2-44.5% of the time, searched 39.9-42.4% of the time, and handcuffed 33.5-36.5% of the time. Ultimately, this data shows that teens who are perceived as Black were searched six times more often than White youth, and those who are perceived as Hispanic/Latino(x) were searched four times more often.

The interactions teens have with law enforcement, including repeated interactions, impact the mental health of those individuals. “Research shows that the type of contact and frequency of involuntary contacts with law enforcement authorities have detrimental effects on the person stopped and can trigger stress reactions, depressive symptoms, anxiety and other associated negative mental health effects,” the report said. “This research suggests that racial and identity profiling extends beyond the criminal justice system and the police; it is also a critical public health issue.”

“Based on the research, the Board believes that public health officials and policy makers should treat racial and identity profiling and disadvantageous policing as significant public health issues. It is important to recognize that police interactions can negatively impact the mental and physical health of Black, Hispanic/Latino(x), Indigenous, and people of color. This could help significantly reduce high levels of stress, community fragmentation, and poor health outcomes among community members who experience attacks on their neighborhoods and aggressive police practices. Given this, adequate resources should be invested in understanding and addressing the health implications of race and identity profiling.”

This report contains a wealth of information related to the discussion of how law enforcement abuses the system through premeditated stop or search, an act in which an officer stops an individual for a minor infraction to “closer a suspicion of another crime.” to pursue”. itself would not constitute reasonable suspicion or probable cause.”

While the report doesn’t specifically go into details related to cannabis, in October 2022, The Washington Post ran an article on racial disparities in Virginia law enforcement. Despite the state legalizing adult use of cannabis in July 2021, the article highlighted how Virginia police are still more likely to arrest blacks than whites for cannabis-related offenses.

A 2020 analysis of cannabis arrests by the New York Police Department (NYPD) showed that 94% of all cannabis-related arrests involved people of color. Overall, NYPD cannabis arrests declined in 2022, but arrests of people perceived as black or Hispanic were still higher.

In April 2020, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) released a comprehensive report showing disparities in black arrests, showing that arrests are still widespread and racial disparities are still common across the country, both in states with legal as well as with decriminalized cannabis.

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