LEGAL
The Racial and
Identity Profiling
Act of 2015
By Martin J. Mayer, General Counsel
California Police Chiefs Association
O
n October 3, 2015, Governor Jerry
Brown signed into law Assembly Bill
953, authored by State Assembly
member Shirley Weber, a Democrat
from San Diego. According to the Legislative
Counsel’s Digest: “This bill would enact the Racial
and Identity Profiling Act of 2015, which would,
among other changes, revise the definition of
racial profiling to instead refer to racial or identity
profiling, and make a conforming change to the
prohibition against peace officers engaging in
that practice.” This Bill will add section 12525.5
to the Government Code of California.
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California Police Chief | www.californiapolicechiefs.org
Elements of the Law
“The bill would require each state
and local agency that employs peace
officers to annually report to the
Attorney General data on all stops, as
defined, conducted by the agency’s
peace officers, and require that data
to include specified information,
including the time, date, and location
of the stop, and the reason for the
stop.”
The bill would require an agency that
employs 1,000 or more peace officers
to issue its first annual report by April
1, 2019; an agency that employs 667 or
more but less than 1,000 peace officers
to issue its first annual report by April
1, 2020; an agency that employs 334 or
more but less than 667 peace officers to