ACLU urges Sacramento not to delay traffic stop reforms while city audit proceeds
SACRAMENTO, Calif. —
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Northern California is pressing Sacramento officials for more information about an audit of police traffic stops while urging the city to begin considering policy changes before the review is completed.
The civil rights organization sent a letter to the city auditor’s office seeking details on the audit’s scope, the period it will cover, and when it will make its findings public.
“We’ve not received answers in the three months since the city moved the audit to their office,” said Allysa Victory, a senior staff attorney with the ACLU of Northern California. “We’re asking: What’s the scope? What’s the time period they’re auditing? When is the audit going to be completed and publicized?”
The ACLU released a report in May that found racial disparities in traffic stops conducted by the Sacramento Police Department. According to the report, Black residents represented about 12% of Sacramento’s population but accounted for 33% of the department’s traffic stops.
The report also raised concerns that some low-level traffic violations were being used as pretexts to stop and search drivers.
| PREVIOUS COVERAGE | ACLU report alleges Sacramento police disproportionately stop, search Black and Latino drivers
In June, the Sacramento City Council approved an audit of the Police Department’s traffic stops.
“This audit is long overdue, and the public has been demanding answers and feedback,” Councilmember Karina Talamantes said at the time.
The audit was initially expected to be handled by the city’s Office of Public Safety Accountability. However, budget and staffing cuts led the city to transfer the work to the city auditor’s office, creating uncertainty about when the review will be completed.
Victory said the city should not use the pending audit as a reason to postpone discussions about potential reforms.
“We’re asking the city to move forward with policies, with solutions,” Victory said. “Instead, people are saying that they need to wait.”
The city confirmed that its auditor’s office has begun the review. City audits typically take about a year to complete, although the timeline can vary depending on the scope of the audit and the information gathered, city officials said.
“Because the audit is underway, we don’t want to comment on its scope, findings or other specifics before that work is complete,” the city said in a statement.
The audit’s objectives were included in a proposal approved by the City Council in June. The auditor’s office provides updates on its work through quarterly activity reports.
Victory said previous reports have already provided enough information for officials to begin considering changes.
“The disparities are already documented,” she said. “They’re already showing a continuous trend through various reporting years. We again think that’s enough for the city to begin moving.”
KCRA 3 contacted Sacramento police in May, June and again this week seeking responses to the ACLU’s findings. The department did not directly address questions about the report but said officers regularly receive instruction on unbiased and constitutional policing.
“From the academy and onward, officers receive regular training focused on fair and professional policing,” the department said in a statement. “This includes but is not limited to training on cultural diversity, bias, ethics and constitutional policing.”
Victory said the ACLU has not met with Sacramento police since releasing the report and has not received a response from the department addressing its findings. She said the organization remains open to meeting with police officials to discuss possible solutions.
“Sacramento is not starting from scratch,” Victory said. “There are other cities that are addressing the disparities in what their data is showing and that are moving forward with policy solutions.”
Victory pointed to San Francisco, which has restricted certain pretextual traffic stops, as an example Sacramento could examine.
The ACLU said it will continue meeting with city leaders and residents while advocating for policy changes. The city said it received the organization’s letter but has not yet responded and may be unable to address all of its questions while the audit is underway.
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