LWV Urges SD Public Safety Committee to add PrOTECT to work plan
Published on 2/14/2023
E-Comment:
The League of Women Voters of San Diego conducted a comprehensive study on policing practices and adopted a position in regards to traffic stops: 1) Effective data collection on law enforcement encounters so that any bias can be determined. Racial and identity profiling by law enforcement is not acceptable. 2) Effective anti-bias training is necessary both in the initial training of new law enforcement officer and in regular refresher courses to reduce racial or identity profiling. 3) Seeking alternatives to deployment of armed law enforcement officers in routine traffic stops, as a means of reducing the number of such stops which escalate into violence.
SDPD stopped Pacific Islanders at 126% percent higher rate than white people and was 81% more likely to search people they perceived to have mental disabilities. Raising the standard for how and when police can stop and search people is an important step to ensure that everyone, no matter race, ethnicity, nationality, or disability can move about freely in public spaces.
The time is now to end the stops. The League urges you to add the Preventing Overpolicing Through Equitable Community Treatment (PrOTECT) Ordinance to the committee work plan, to prevent biased policing.