Report Shows Sacramento Police More Likely To Arrest, Use Force On Black People
SACRAMENTO (CBS13) - Activists are calling for change after a new report was released that shows a disparity in who Sacramento police stop and arrest.
"Policing here in Sacramento is bias and racist," said community activist Berry Accius.
Accius has been saying for years that Sacramento police officers unfairly target African Americans.
"We're number one with being pulled over, with being searched," he said.
New research by the Center for Policing Equity confirms Black people are disproportionally stopped by police.
"It tells me we still have a lot of work to do," said Sacramento Police Chief Daniel Hahn.
Chief Hahn requested the independent study after the fatal officer-involved shooting of Stephon Clark, an unarmed Black man. The report looks at the race of each individual stopped by police over a six-year period.
He says it's an effort to make the department more transparent.
"We invited them into our department to examine our department," said Hahn.
So what did researchers find? African-Americans make up 40 percent of all arrests in Sacramento even though they are only 13 percent of the overall population. Officers also use force against African-Americans five times more often. They are six times more likely to be stopped on the streets, and 60 percent more likely to be searched.
"The data is proving everything we've been saying for years and years," said Accius.
"The question is why is there disparity in the numbers, and two, what do you do about it?" said Hahn. "That's why we have implicit bias courses -- that's why we have walk in my shoes to give our officers experiences in communities."
"It's always been about policing here in Sacramento needs to be changed and held accountable," said Accius.
The Department has already made a number of policy changes based on other reports and recommendations, including further restricting when officers can use lethal force.