ADVISORY: ACLU says Sacramento police 'racial profiling' similar to rest of U.S.

NEWS ADVISORY

SACRAMENTO COUNTY ACLU

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, August 11, 2008
Contact: James Updegraff, Sacramento ACLU 916/421-5951 or 916/996-9170


ACLU weighs in on ‘racial profiling'
by Sacramento Police, notes that
it's consistent with other cities

SACRAMENTO – The Sacramento Chapter of the ACLU today criticized the
Sacramento Police Department for what it calls evidence of "racial
profiling" after an analysis of traffic stops revealed black and Latino
drivers were much more likely to be pulled over by police than other
drivers in Sacramento.

The ACLU said the problem is consistent what occurs in other U.S. cities.

The ACLU plans to meet with other community organizations about the
subject, and will be present Tuesday where the report will presented to the
Sacramento City Council.

"No person of color is safe from this treatment anywhere, regardless of
their obedience to the law. Skin color has become evidence of the
propensity to commit crime, and police use this ‘evidence' against minority
drivers," said James Updegraff, Sacramento ACLU chairman, quoting from an
ACLU document "Driving While Black: Racial Profiling On Our Nation's
Highways." (http://www.aclu.org/racialjustice/racialprofiling/15912pub19990607.html)

"Police use traffic stops as a pretext in order to 'fish' for evidence.
Both anecdotal and quantitative data show that nationwide, the police
exercise this discretionary power primarily against African Americans and
Latinos," according to the ACLU report.

"Fighting crime is surely a high priority. But it must be done without
damaging other important values: the freedom to go about our business
without unwarranted police interference and the right to be treated equally
before the law, without regard to race or ethnicity. And unless we address
this problem, all of us – not just people of color – stand to lose," the
ACLU noted.

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