California police show severe racial bias in stops and searches, data finds

Black residents were stopped the most, while Native Americans were searched most frequently compared to all racial groups

Law enforcement in California handcuffed and detained Black and Indigenous residents during traffic stops at significantly higher rates than white people in 2022, according to data released on Wednesday.

The annual racial profiling report from a state board analyzed 4.5m vehicle and pedestrian stops conducted by 535 law enforcement agencies, the first time departments from across the state contributed data.

Black residents were stopped the most, making up 5.4% of the state's population, but 12.5% of stops.

Latinos were also disproportionately stopped, making up 32.4% of the population, but 42.9% of stops.

White and Asian American residents were stopped at lower rates than their proportion of the population.

Native Americans were searched most frequently compared to all racial groups, in 22.4% of stops, nearly twice the rate of white people, who were searched in 12.4% of stops. Native Americans were also handcuffed at the highest rate of all groups at 17.8% of stops, compared with less than 10% for white people.

Black residents were detained on the curb or in a patrol car at the highest rate, at 20.2% of stops, and also ordered to exit their cars more frequently than all other groups, at 7.1% of stops. Black residents were also issued a sole charge of resisting arrest at a rate more than three times the state average, making up 19.2% of those cases.