Racial Profiling Study Results Rejected by LAPD ~ Los Angeles Police Department

The Los Angeles Police Department on Tuesday rejected the findings of a study that found its officers frequently discriminate against African Americans and Latinos when making traffic and pedestrian stops.

Top LAPD officials, speaking before the civilian commission that oversees the department, acknowledged that minorities are more frequently subjected to searches and other action during stops than are whites, but dismissed the claim of widespread racial profiling among officers and defended the department's efforts to address the issue. They also attacked the study, saying that analysis of data from traffic and pedestrian stops cannot accurately determine whether officers are biased.

Police Chief William J. Bratton said the study, released in October by Yale University legal scholar Ian Ayres and promoted by the American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California, was "of no value."

"We live in an imperfect world. There are many issues and questions for which unfortunately there are no perfect answers. This issue of bias and profiling is one of those issues," he said. "I've got a lot of concerns about their conclusions. This department does not engage in racial profiling."