The Sacramento Police Department will be subject to a city audit after a nonprofit report found evidence of racially-biased traffic enforcement.
The report conducted by the American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California analyzed 2023-24 traffic stop data and found that Sacramento police disproportionately stopped Black drivers, often for minor vehicle equipment or non-moving violations. An organizer with the ACLU likened these traffic stops to a “stop-and-frisk,” a practice long criticized for its perpetuation of racial profiling.
Tuesday the city’s Budget and Audit Committee directed City Auditor Farishta Ahrary to prioritize the traffic stop investigation and to delay a requested audit into the police department’s use of overtime, which costs the city more than $15 million each year. Police overtime spending has been a point of frustration for community activists critical of the department’s growing budget…