California takes monumental step toward fair policing with first-ever bill to collect, analyze, and make public data on all police stops
On Saturday, October 3, Governor Jerry Brown signed Assembly Bill 953: The Racial and Identity Profiling Act of 2015 into California law. Authored by Assemblymember Shirley Weber (D-San Diego), AB 953 will require California law enforcement agencies to collect basic information on police stops in response to growing concerns about racial profiling and police misconduct.
In Los Angeles County alone, at least 642 people have been killed by law enforcement officers since 2000, making it the most deadly county in the nation. California also holds the ominous state record for the highest number of deaths in the country, with 151 people killed by law enforcement in the state so far this year. However, California still does not collect, analyze, or make available basic information about who the police, stop, search, or even shoot. AB 953 will address this by requiring law enforcement to collect and report data on their encounters with community members.
Asian Americans Advancing Justice – Los Angeles and our affiliate Advancing Justice – Asian Law Caucus cosponsored AB 953, along with several other civil rights and social justice organizations representing diverse communities across California. We joined the campaign to pass AB 953 to stand up for #BlackLivesMatter and to partner in solidarity with other communities of color to end racial and identity profiling.
AANHPI communities also have historically been subject to severe levels of discrimination based on race. These discriminatory acts range from the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, which prohibited immigration to the U.S. from China, to Executive Order 9066, which ordered the unjust imprisonment of individuals solely based on their Japanese ancestry. Presently, the violation of the civil rights of Arab, Middle Eastern, Muslim, and South Asian (AMEMSA) communities is particularly pronounced due to identity profiling in the post-9/11 environment, and fear of China has led to numerous suspect national security cases that single out American scientists and government workers of Chinese heritage.
“California now will have the strongest law in the country to collect data on law enforcement encounters with the community so that we can address the insidious problem of racial profiling,” said Betty Hung, policy director at Advancing Justice - LA. “This issue is at the heart of whether American democracy is inclusive and just for all, or whether the kind of implicit bias and stereotypes that permeate institutions like law enforcement will continue unchecked. We thank Governor Brown for signing AB 953, recognizing that the hard work lies ahead of us in ensuring effective implementation of the law.”
AB 953 will require that:
- Law enforcement collect and release data on all stops, including traffic and pedestrian stops;
- Law enforcement follow a stronger definition of racial and identity profiling that more forcefully outlaws racial and identity profiling based on race, gender, age, religion, LGBTQ identity, physical or mental condition, housing status, and national origin and immigration status; and
- A State Racial and Identity Profiling Advisory (RIPA) Board will be appointed to monitor implementation of the law and analyze the data in order to develop evidence-based solutions.
AB 953 is co-sponsored by Asian Americans Advancing Justice – Sacramento, Youth Justice Coalition, PICO California, ACLU of California, Dignity and Power Now, and Reform California.
