CAC Ad Hoc Racial and Identity Profile Act (RIPA)

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Racial bias in policing continues to be an ongoing national concern. In traffic stops, for example, evidence of race-based policing has often been followed by the most violent and sometimes fatal interactions. The same trend has been demonstrated in other kinds of stops, separate from traffic, like detentions during investigations, arrests, and stops made on foot instead of cars, like the murder of George Floyd in 2020.

Recognizing this as an issue, the California Legislature passed Assembly Bill 953, the Racial and Identity Profiling Act, or RIPA, in 2015. This law requires state and local law enforcement agencies (including California State University Police Departments) to collect and report data regarding individual stops to the California Department of Justice (Cal-DOJ). That means every law enforcement agency in California must collect and report who they stopped to the Department of Justice. This has been the law since 2017.

Why does this matter in Sonoma County?

The law enforcement agencies of Sonoma County, including the Sheriff’s Office (SCSO), must adhere to the RIPA rules for collecting and submitting data.

According to The Press Democrat, the 2021 RIPA report analyzed 3.1 million traffic and pedestrian stops from 58 agencies across the state and concluded that Black drivers and pedestrians are 2.2 times more likely to be stopped and searched than white drivers.

Sonoma

Asian people: 1.71% of population, 1.2% of stops

Black people: 1.21% of the population, 2.41% of stops

Hispanic people: 14.9% of the population, 27.71% of stops

White people: 77.31% of population, 68.27% of stops

Total stops: 249

Sonoma County Sheriff's Office

Asian people: 4.17% of population, 1.55% of stops

Black people: 1.49% of the population, 6.27% of stops

Hispanic people: 23.54% of the population, 33.81% of stops

White people: 62.52% of population, 55.65% of stops

Total stops: 2,582

“The California Attorney General Office’s Racial and Identity Profiling Advisory Board released a study showing [the] racial makeup of people involved in traffic and pedestrian stops. The data covers the second half of 2021. Sonoma County agencies were supposed to begin collecting stop data on Jan. 1, 2022, for the next report, which officials say may come out later this year. They instead submitted six months of data from 2021 for last month’s report.” (The Press Democrat, Report finds disparity in Sonoma County traffic stops involving Black, Hispanic residents, February 18, 2023)

About this Ad Hoc

Initially formed in 2023, the CAC’s RIPA Ad Hoc Committee began its work by requesting the Sheriff’s Department share information regarding how stop data is collected and submitted to the DOJ. This year, the Ad Hoc’s efforts continue as the group moves towards:

Exploring issues of racial disparity in law enforcement impacting Sonoma County Communities and addressing the issues the data raises regarding racial profiling in stops.
Coordinating with SCSO to make information about this issue and the data collection component available to members of the public in an easy-to-understand manner.
Researching and analyzing findings into recommendations for solutions to the data submission problems currently facing the Sheriff’s Department.
Helping the Sheriff and his team recognize the power of data-driven solutions, surfacing and bridging the gap between what Cal-DOJ expects and what law enforcement gathers.

Our work will comprise research, hearing from the Sheriff, learning from other jurisdictions and agencies, and summarizing these efforts in a final report that includes process, protocol, and policy recommendations.

We are committed to working transparently. The Committee plans to offer opportunities for public participation through webinars and public participation in the Committee’s work.