The Los Angeles Police Department said it will dramatically curtail random traffic stops by its Metropolitan Division over concerns that the department has been engaging in racial profiling that has hurt certain minority communities, according to a new report.
But the decision is already being slammed by the police union that represents rank-and-file cops, which said LAPD leaders are caving to anti-police activists.
LAPD Chief Michel Moore told the L.A. Times that Metro’s vehicle stops have not been effective, netting about one arrest for every 100 cars pulled over.
He said the change, which is set to take effect in late November, was a result of a recent Times investigation and pressure from certain groups, including the ACLU and the Community Coalition of South L.A., which have called for the division to withdraw from South L.A. and for the LAPD to end random stops.
The police union has blasted Chief Moore, saying that he is weak on crime and has caved to anti-police activist groups.
“The Chief’s decision to buckle to the demands of anti-police groups like the ACLU, who have zero interest in ensuring criminals are arrested, is deeply disappointing,” the board of directors of the L.A. Police Protective League said in a statement to the Times.
“We do not support this reckless gamble that will lead to the further victimization of people of color by criminals and gang members.”
The League said LAPD leaders are making a decision based on “incomplete data, presented with minimal context, coupled with sensationalized cherry-picked racial information intended to inflame and divide.”
The changes come after the Times published an analysis in January claiming that random stops disproportionately impact black and Latino drivers.