Statewide — The California Racial and Identity Profiling Advisory Board’s Stop Data Subcommittee convened on March 5 to assess ongoing disparities in policing practices and discuss the direction of the upcoming 2026 RIPA report.

The meeting brought together law enforcement officials, legal experts and community advocates, to examine  racial disparities in traffic stops, formulate policy recommendations and integrate new data elements into future reporting.

Board member and subcommittee co-chair Lily Kadjavi opened the meeting by emphasizing the subcommittee’s critical role in shaping statewide policing policy.

“We all know the work of the board is critical to improving the well-being and safety of communities across California,” Kadjavi said.

She highlighted that the data collected in past reports continued to show “pronounced and concerning disparities in the way people are impacted by law enforcement,” particularly for Black men and Native American youth.

She stressed that the committee’s goal was not only to document these patterns but also to propose targeted policy changes based on the data.

The meeting also welcomed new subcommittee member Chansi Smith, who was appointed by California Attorney General Rob Bonta.

Smith, the associate director of Reimagine Justice and Safety at Catalyst California, has extensive experience in police reform and public safety initiatives.

“I think the Stop Data Subcommittee is vitally important to the overall mission of what we’re in this for,” Smith said.

He expressed his eagerness to contribute to the subcommittee’s work and to collaborate on advancing equity in law enforcement practices.

Following introductions, the board reviewed its past work, including the publication of the 2025 RIPA report on Jan. 1.

Alex Simpson, a leader of the RIPA report team, provided an overview of the previous year’s findings and directed members to a recent public briefing that discussed its conclusions and recommendations.

Simpson underscored the importance of reflecting on past reports to inform future efforts.

“If you’re interested in looking at a discussion of last year’s report, there was a presentation in front of the public on Jan. 21,” he noted.

Deputy Attorney General Garrett Lindsey then led a discussion on potential structural changes to how stop data is reported.

He explained that there were two primary ways to organize the data: by focusing on specific characteristics of stops, such as search rates across different demographic groups, or by examining how individual groups experience stops across various metrics.

“Advantages to the group-by-group analysis within an element of a stop,” he explained, “is that it helps focus the reader on the different aspects of the disparities.”

However, he also noted that an alternative approach, centering the report on specific groups, such as youth, would allow for a more detailed exploration of how different populations experience law enforcement interactions.

Another key point of discussion was the introduction of new data elements into the 2024 dataset.

Lindsey explained that the Department of Justice would now collect information on the reported race of officers conducting stops, as well as discrepancies between the stated reason for a stop and the actual reason recorded by law enforcement.

“If the officer gives a reason for stopping someone that is different than their actual reason, then we are collecting that information,” he said.

This change is intended to provide a more transparent record of police interactions and help identify potential instances of bias or misleading explanations for stops.

The subcommittee also reviewed data collection changes in response to legislative actions.

One example discussed was the requirement for officers to document situations where they withhold the true reason for a stop due to an ongoing investigation, such as an Amber Alert suspect description.

“We are collecting both the reason given to the person for the stop and the actual reason, and if there’s a difference, we are getting a written response on why that’s different,” Lindsey said.

As the meeting progressed, the board turned its attention to the broader implications of their findings.

With disparities in law enforcement interactions still evident, the subcommittee aims to use the 2026 report to push for meaningful policy changes.

The report is expected to provide recommendations on training, accountability measures, and legal reforms that could address systemic racial disparities in policing.

The meeting concluded with a reaffirmation of the board’s commitment to data-driven policymaking.

Kadjavi stressed the importance of using stop data not only to document trends but to advocate for real change.

“Our goal is to propose for an extra report, you know, analysis, questions, topics that the report can focus on that really shine a light on people’s lived experiences,” she said.