San Rafael PAC reviews RIPA data; community groups urge end to "pretext" traffic stops

San Rafael — Marin County and San Rafael Police Department staff presented 2019–2024 Racial and Identity Profiling Act (AB 953) stop-data to the Police Advisory and Accountability Committee on March 19, and community members urged the committee to press the department to reduce stops that disproportionately affect Black and Latinx residents.

The presentation, led by Kyle Williams, a data analyst with the Marin County Sheriff’s Office, summarized San Rafael Police Department RIPA submissions and county comparisons. Williams reported 5,353 stops recorded in San Rafael for 2024 and said the department’s data shows higher stop rates for people the data recorders perceived as Hispanic/Latinx and Black than the city’s resident population proportions.

Community groups and speakers, including representatives of Mill Valley Free (MV Free), told the PAC the statewide RIPA board’s two‑year analysis shows persistent, statewide over‑policing of Black and Latinx people and urged San Rafael to adopt the board’s recommended policy changes. Tammy Edmonson of MV Free summarized the board’s findings and told the PAC, “Yes, it actually does,” when asked whether the RIPA data shows higher stop rates for Black and Latinx people.

Why it matters: RIPA…