San Diego PD busted by the city’s police oversight commission, for harassing blacks 4 to 1 instead of whites

Black drivers stopped for low-level traffic violations in San Diego were more than four times as likely as White drivers to be frisked and more than three times as likely to be subjected to force, according to an analysis presented by the city’s police oversight commission, which is recommending broad restrictions on so-called pretext stops. At a community forum last weekend, the San Diego Commission on Police Practices unveiled four draft policy recommendations aimed at limiting officers’ ability to use minor equipment and administrative violations — such as broken tail lights, expired registration tags or objects hanging from rearview mirrors — as a basis for investigating unrelated suspected crimes.

Commission investigator Ethan Waterman presented a review of SDPD’s 2024 stop data, the most recent available.

According to Waterman, the department reported 103,463 stops in 2024, including about 24,000 traffic stops involving equipment violations and other non-moving infractions.

Within the low-level stop category, the commission identified significant racial disparities.

https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/2026/06/18/low-public-safety-return-police-oversight-commission-calls-for-limits-on-pretext-traffic-stops/