Community Police Review Commission Files RIPA Report Amid Concerns Over Racial Disparities

The Community Police Review Commission received and filed the Racial and Identity Profiling Act (RIPA) report from 2022–2023 on Wednesday. The report addresses racial and identity profiling in law enforcement.

RIPA collects data based on cultural identity and gender during traffic stops and is generated annually. Its focus is to prevent bias-based policing and promote equitable public safety practices and transparency between the police force and the community it serves.

Data is collected by police officers anytime they make a traffic stop, based on a 24-question template.

“That’s incumbent upon us to look at this data, and if we see that there is a problem there, what recommendations would we make to have it brought before this committee,” said Commissioner Eileen Teichert.

The data represented in this report used the demographics recorded during the 2020 Census. Here is a breakdown:

• Hispanic or Latino – 55%
• White – 25%
• Black or African American – 6%
• Asian – 8%
• Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander – 0.5%
• American Indian or Alaska Native – 0.1%
• Other ethnicities – 3%

Between Jan. 1 and Dec. 31, 2022, police made 16,465 traffic stops. That number decreased the following year to 14,879.

The Hispanic or Latino community accounted for the highest number of stops recorded by police officers in both years—48% in 2022 and 52% in 2023.

Meanwhile, the Black or African American community was stopped 14% of the time in 2022, and 13% in 2023, despite representing only 6% of the population.

Traffic stops involving white individuals represented the second-highest proportion, but there was a decline from 2022 to 2023.

People who identify as male were stopped more often than those who identify as female in both years—72% in 2022 and 75% in 2023.

In most subcategories—such as warnings, citations, and arrests with or without a warrant—Hispanic or Latino individuals led the number of stops, with most categories showing an increase from one year to the next.

Commissioner Jeffery Ward questioned whether the commission should discuss the standout numbers, but the data was filed for further discussion at a later time. No date was set.

Charles Dillon, a member of the commission, asked whether the data included specific locations where most stops were made, but an officer present said that information is not input into the template. The officer did not identify himself during the meeting.

The commission opened the floor to public comment after the presentation, but there were none.

The data was received and filed with a unanimous vote of 7–0. It will be examined further, with recommendations expected to address the concerning figures.

Members of the Community Police Review Commission could not immediately be reached for comment Friday.