SACRAMENTO, Calif. _ Law enforcement agencies in California sustain few citizen complaints of racial or identity profiling, according to a report Wednesday by a state panel set up to help reduce bias in policing.
The state's Racial and Identity Profiling Advisory Board recommended in its annual report that law enforcement agencies improve training and adopt clear guidelines for tracking and reporting data on who is stopped by officers.
The panel said that 453 law enforcement agencies in the state received 9,459 civilian complaints in 2017, including 865 complaints alleging racial or identity profiling.
Of the racial and identity complaints that reached a disposition that year, 1.5 percent were sustained, 14.6 percent resulted in officers being exonerated and 83.9 percent of complaints were not sustained or were determined to be unfounded, the report said.
A clearer picture of the issue is expected from a 2015 law that requires police agencies to report demographic data on all detentions and searches. The first reports by the eight largest agencies, including the Los Angeles Police Department and the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, are schedule to be submitted in April.
California Attorney General Xavier Becerra, whose office oversees the board, said tracking of all detentions and searches will be helpful to understand the scope of the issue.
"The Board's recommendations will help make our law enforcement agencies more transparent and promote critical steps to enhance, and in some cases, repair the public trust," Becerra said in a statement Wednesday.
