The California Racial and Identity Profiling Advisory Board has released its ninth annual report, analyzing police stops across the state in 2024. The report reviewed data from 5.1 million vehicle and pedestrian stops conducted by 533 law enforcement agencies, as well as 13,000 civilian complaints filed under the Racial and Identity Profiling Act (RIPA). Findings indicate an increase in stops compared to the previous year, with most being officer-initiated for traffic violations.
The report highlights ongoing concerns about racial and identity profiling. According to the data, individuals perceived to be Black were stopped 128% more often than expected based on population proportions, while those perceived as Pacific Islander were stopped 58% more often than expected.
“California remains on the cutting edge of stop data collection and analysis, which the RIPA Board has used to make recommendations to address racial and identity profiling,” said Andrea Guerrero, Co-Chair of the RIPA Board and Executive Director of Alliance San Diego. “The work of the Board would not be possible without the robust input and conversations with community members, law enforcement, and additional stakeholders in the state. We hope that all stakeholders review the report and the data to take action. At a time when federal law enforcement is eroding public trust by engaging in blatant profiling, California can provide a different model of a state that seeks to build public trust through the transparency and accountability that the RIPA report fosters.”
Attorney General Rob Bonta commented on California’s efforts: “The ninth annual RIPA report reflects California’s tireless dedication to addressing racial and identity bias in policing. The information obtained through stop data and civilian complaints provide invaluable insight into systemic issues present in the state, enabling the RIPA Board to recommend constructive reforms to improve public safety in California,” said Attorney General Rob Bonta. “In light of the federal government’s ongoing mass deportation campaign and discriminatory, unconstitutional stop practices, it is more important than ever that we continue to take action to strengthen the trust between local law enforcement and the communities they serve.”
This year’s report examines how racial and identity profiling affects public safety. Research referenced in the report indicates that discretionary investigative stops may negatively impact health outcomes, contribute to mistrust within communities—leading to lower crime reporting—and increase public costs due to greater police presence. These effects are particularly pronounced in communities of color.
Key findings from this year include disparities by race or ethnicity: Black and Native American individuals experienced more actions per stop than other groups; officers used force most frequently during stops involving Native American, Black, or Hispanic/Latino individuals; arrest rates were highest for those perceived as Native American or Black.
Disparities were also noted based on housing status. Individuals perceived as unhoused were stopped for reasonable suspicion at higher rates than any other group. Officers took more actions—including use of force—during these stops, with nearly half resulting in arrest.
Regional differences showed that people perceived as Black faced disproportionate stops especially in the Bay Area; Southern California saw higher stop rates for those perceived as Hispanic/Latino.
Regarding searches during stops, only one-fifth of consent-only searches resulted in finding contraband compared with over a quarter for non-discretionary searches. Consent-only searches happened most often during encounters with individuals perceived as Hispanic/Latino or Asian but yielded lower discovery rates among those perceived as Black or Native American.
Civilian complaints alleging racial or identity profiling rose significantly from 9.7% in 2023 to 17.5% in 2024; most alleged race or ethnicity-based profiling.
Between January 2023 and December 2025, POST received over 41,000 reports of officer misconduct—about one-third involved demonstrations of bias—with certification actions initiated against hundreds of officers; closure rates for these cases have improved since last year.
Members of the public can learn more about OpenJustice—a project focused on increasing access to justice-related data—and review both current findings from this year’s RIPA Report as well as general information about the Board. A free community briefing will be held by CARE at this link on February 26.
