ACLU says Sacramento cops target Black and Latino drivers disproportionately

A report drawn from data on traffic stops by the ACLU of Northern California alleges that the Sacramento Police Department violates the civil rights of minority residents through biased traffic enforcement.

“Driving While Black and Brown: The Case for Banning Racially Biased Traffic Stops in Sacramento” uses data collected under California’s Racial and Identity Profiling Act and found the stops were disproportionate to the percentage of population.

“Targeting Black and Latino drivers for minor violations like tinted windows is basically stop-and-frisk for driving,” said Carlos Montes-Ponce, senior organizer at the ACLU of Northern California.

He noted that the stops have negligible consequences in public safety. “(But) they can have deadly consequences for people of color,” he said. “Sacramento should follow the lead of cities like San Francisco and Berkeley that have restricted enforcement of non-moving traffic violations.”

Among the report’s key findings:

• Black residents made up 12% of Sacramento’s population but accounted for 33% of SPD traffic stops in 2023-24.
• Black drivers were 3.1 times more likely to be stopped than white drivers, and 70% of those stops were for equipment or non-moving violations — such as registration, plates or window obstruction — rather than urgent safety issues.
• Black drivers were searched at a 17% rate after stops, compared with 8% for white drivers and 12% for Latino drivers. Black drivers were 2.1 times more likely than white drivers to be searched.
• Latino drivers made up 38% of stops for window obstruction.

Push to change practices

According to the ACLU, police across California frequently use minor traffic violations as a pretext to investigate criminal activity when no reasonable suspicion exists.

Earlier this month the Los Angeles City Council voted 14-0 to ask the department’s civilian review board to adopt guidelines similar to San Francisco’s, which bars officers from pulling over drivers for minor equipment violations — such as a cracked windshield or expired tags — unless there is a “significant and imminent safety risk.”

“(The ACLU’s report) reinforces what we already know: race continues to play a significant role in our criminal justice system, said Sacramento City Councilmember, and congressional candidate, Mai Vang. “Whether intentional or implicit, we cannot ignore the impact that disproportionate policing has on our community, especially at a time when our neighbors are being targeted based on race, immigration status, and perceived identity.”

In an emailed statement, the Sacramento Police Department said it is “aware of the recent ACLU report regarding traffic stops” and that “from the academy onward, our officers receive training on the practices of fair and principled policing.”

The department said it “remains committed to providing high quality police services, while constantly reviewing policies and practices to support effective policing and maintaining public trust.

Similar findings

The ACLU report is not the first time Sacramento police have faced allegations of racially biased stops. In 2023, a 190-page audit by the city’s Office of Public Safety Accountability found multiple instances in which officers appeared to act with racial bias and violate the Fourth Amendment, and concluded the department should adopt reforms similar to those of the San Francisco Police Department.

The audit found that in most of 19 stops for tinted windows documented between June 2020 and June 2022, officers did not ask about the windows, concluding the stops appeared to be a “pretext to initiate an unrelated investigation.”

During typical stops, the audit found, “officers question drivers stopped for window-tint violations about their criminal history, specifically asking if the individual has ever been in jail, arrested, or whether they are on probation or parole.” They did this even though the drivers had been stopped only for minor traffic violations, the audit stated.

In response to the audit, then-Chief Kathy Lester said the department is “a leader in transparent and progressive policing” and committed to constitutional policing. She pledged to “proactively identify ways to move our department forward.”

Vang said the 2023 audit’s recommendations are overdue.

“The 2023 Office of Public Safety Accountability audit of Sac PD misconduct complaint cases made clear that meaningful change is still needed,” she said, “including the recommendation to fully eliminate pretextual stops.”