![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Website-2026-press-release-template-single-image-saturated-duotone-3-600x400-1-765x510.webp\")
\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
SACRAMENTO, Calif. \u2014 A new report released Tuesday by the American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California alleges the Sacramento Police Department disproportionately stopped and searched Black and Latino drivers for low-level traffic violations that often had little connection to public safety, raising renewed concerns about racial profiling and so-called \u201cpretext\u201d traffic stops.<\/p>\n
The report, titled \u201cDriving While Black and Brown: The Case for Banning Racially Biased Traffic Stops in Sacramento<\/a>,\u201d analyzed Sacramento Police Department traffic stop data from 2023 and 2024 collected under California\u2019s Racial and Identity Profiling Act, commonly known as RIPA.<\/p>\n According to the report, Black residents accounted for 33% of all Sacramento police traffic stops despite making up only 12% of the city\u2019s population. The ACLU found Black drivers were \u201c3.1 times more likely to be stopped than white drivers.\u201d<\/p>\n The report also found that more than 70% of traffic stops involving Black drivers were for equipment violations or non-moving violations such as expired registration, missing license plates, or window obstructions \u2014 violations the report argues have little relationship to traffic safety.<\/p>\n \u201cTargeting Black and Latino drivers for minor violations like tinted windows is basically stop-and-frisk for driving,\u201d said Carlos Montes-Ponce, senior organizer at the ACLU of Northern California.<\/p>\n \u201cWhile pretext stops have a negligible impact on public safety, they can have deadly consequences for people of color,\u201d Montes-Ponce added. \u201cSacramento should follow the lead of cities like San Francisco and Berkeley that have restricted enforcement of non-moving traffic violations.\u201d<\/p>\n The ACLU report argues Sacramento police routinely use non-safety-related traffic violations as a \u201cpretext\u201d to investigate unrelated criminal activity, even when officers lack reasonable suspicion or probable cause.<\/p>\n \u201cPolice often use non-safety related traffic violations as a \u2018pretext\u2019 to look for evidence of criminal activity when they don\u2019t have reasonable suspicion that a crime has been committed or probable cause for a search,\u201d the report states. \u201cSince officers have wide discretion to enforce low-level violations, racial bias can play a part in their decisions.\u201d<\/p>\n The report examined 46,076 traffic stops conducted by Sacramento police during the two-year period, including 21,972 stops in 2023 and 24,104 stops in 2024.<\/p>\n Of those stops, the most common alleged violations were \u201cNo Registration\u201d at 29%, \u201cDisplay Plates\/Tags\u201d at 18%, and \u201cFailure to Stop at Limit Line\u201d at 17%.<\/p>\n The report found Black drivers were overrepresented in stops involving \u201cwindow obstruction,\u201d missing registration, and display plate issues \u2014 categories the ACLU characterizes as discretionary enforcement unrelated to urgent traffic safety concerns.<\/p>\n Latino drivers were also disproportionately represented in certain categories. According to the report, Latino drivers made up 38% of all stops for alleged window obstruction violations, despite representing 28% of total stops overall.<\/p>\n The ACLU linked those findings to a prior review conducted by Sacramento\u2019s Office of Public Safety Accountability.<\/p>\n \u201cThe office\u2019s review of SPD misconduct complaint cases over a two-year period revealed that police only stopped Black and Latino motorists for tinted windows,\u201d the report states.<\/p>\n The report also found significant racial disparities in vehicle searches.<\/p>\n According to the analysis, Sacramento police conducted 5,399 searches during traffic stops between 2023 and 2024. Black drivers were searched at a rate of 17%, compared to 8% for white drivers, while Latino drivers were searched at a rate of 12%.<\/p>\n The report states Black drivers were \u201c2.1 times more likely to be searched during a traffic stop than a white driver,\u201d while Latino drivers were \u201c1.5 times more likely.\u201d<\/p>\n The disparities were most pronounced during stops for equipment violations and non-moving violations, categories where officers possess broad discretion.<\/p>\n \u201cBy race, search rates were the most disparate for drivers searched due to non-moving violations and equipment violations; two categories where enforcement is most discretionary and least directly related to traffic safety,\u201d the report states.<\/p>\n Despite the elevated search rates, the report found searches rarely uncovered contraband or weapons.<\/p>\n \u201cIn 2023-2024, 90% of all searches conducted by SPD during a traffic stop resulted in no items seized,\u201d the report states.<\/p>\n The report specifically highlighted stops involving expired registration.<\/p>\n \u201cThe most common alleged violation for a traffic stop in 2023-2024 was expired or missing registration,\u201d the report states. \u201cFor \u2018No Registration,\u2019 11,246 people were stopped, and 3,565 people were subjected to a stop without ultimately receiving any warning, citation, or arrest.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOf those 11,246 people stopped for \u2018No Registration\u2019 in this two year period, only 79 stops resulted in drugs seized and 22 resulted in a firearm seized.\u201d<\/p>\n The report further found that more than one-third of stops involving window obstruction or display plate violations resulted in no warning, citation, or arrest.<\/p>\n Across all traffic stops, 28% ended with no warning, citation, or arrest.<\/p>\n Black drivers experienced the highest \u201cno result\u201d rate at 32%, according to the report. Latino drivers had a 28% no-result rate, compared to 26% for white drivers.<\/p>\n At the same time, the report found Black drivers received citations at lower rates than white drivers despite being stopped and searched more often.<\/p>\n \u201cWhite drivers had the highest share of citations relative to their share of stopped population,\u201d the report states. \u201cBlack drivers were underrepresented in citations relative to their share of the stopped population.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBlack drivers had the lowest rate of citations despite being stopped and searched more than all other racial groups by the Sacramento Police Department.\u201d<\/p>\n The ACLU argued the findings demonstrate a systemic pattern of racially disparate policing practices.<\/p>\n \u201cThese findings are damning and paint a clear picture that the Sacramento Police Department is using minor traffic violations as pretext to stop and search Black and Latino drivers,\u201d the report states.<\/p>\n The ACLU called on Sacramento officials to prohibit officers from initiating stops for many low-level equipment and non-moving violations.<\/p>\n \u201cSacramento should adopt a policy that prohibits its police department from conducting many of the above-listed stops and searches due to their demonstrated use as a pretext to stop and search Black and Brown drivers for reasons unrelated to the stop and provide little to no traffic safety benefits,\u201d the report states.<\/p>\n The debate over pretext stops has intensified across California in recent years as lawmakers and civil rights advocates push to limit police discretion in traffic enforcement.<\/p>\n The ACLU noted that cities including San Francisco and Berkeley have already adopted reforms limiting certain low-level traffic stops. According to the organization, San Francisco experienced a 10% decline in the share of Black drivers stopped for non-moving violations after implementing reforms.<\/p>\n Earlier this month, the Los Angeles City Council also voted to advance policies aimed at limiting racially disparate pretext stops.<\/p>\n The Sacramento report argues such reforms could reduce racial disparities while allowing police resources to focus on serious traffic safety concerns.<\/p>\n \u201cThese disparate traffic stops result in disparate searches that have very little likelihood of finding contraband and low levels resulting action (e.g. citation or arrest),\u201d the report states. \u201cThis pattern and practice of racially disproportionate stops and searches by SPD is a violation of civil rights laws and the core constitutional principle of equal protection under the law.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt is also a wasteful use of City resources and police officers\u2019 time,\u201d the report continues. \u201cThese biased traffic stops and searches do not directly improve traffic safety and continue the shameful legacy of racial profiling and its deadly consequences in the United States.\u201d<\/p>\n Follow the Vanguard on Social Media \u2013 X<\/a>, Instagram <\/a>and Facebook<\/a>.\u00a0 Subscribe <\/a>the Vanguard News letters.\u00a0 To make a tax-deductible donation, please visit davisvanguard.org\/donate<\/a> or give directly through ActBlue<\/a>.\u00a0 Your support will ensure that the vital work of the Vanguard continues.<\/p>\n Categories: Breaking News<\/a> Everyday Injustice<\/a> Tags: ACLU of Northern California<\/a> Police Reform<\/a> Racial Profiling<\/a> RIPA Data<\/a> Sacramento Police Department<\/a> Traffic Stops<\/a>