The Palo Alto Police Department strives to provide law enforcement to our community with due regard to the racial and cultural differences of those we serve. It is the Department’s policy and practice to provide law enforcement services and to enforce the law equally and fairly without discrimination toward any individual(s) or group because of their race, ethnicity or nationality, religion, gender, sexual orientation, or disability.
The Palo Alto Police Department collects demographic data on drivers of all car stops, self initiated pedestrian stops, and self initiated bicycle stops. Along with the race of the subject the following data will be collected: reason for stop, location of stop, gender, age, city of residence, disposition of stop, if there was a search, why the search was conducted, and disposition of search. The data is published on the Department’s website on a quarterly basis and a written report is provided to the City Council and Human Relations Commission annually.
Every time a uniformed officer stops a subject as outlined above, the following information is recorded:
(a) Reason for the stop;
(b) Location of the stop;
(c) Gender of subject;
(d) Age of subject;
(e) Race of subject;
(f) City the subject resides in;
(g) Disposition of the stop, (i.e. cited, warned, arrested, no action);
(h) If a search was conducted:
1. Why a search conducted; i.e. consent, parole, probation, probable cause;
2. Disposition of search; was anything located?
The collection of demographic data is just one part of a comprehensive approach that the Police Department has undertaken to enhance police-community relations and to ensure policing activities are conducted without racial or ethnic bias. If you have any questions about the data, please contact Interim Police Chief Dennis Burns at 650 329 2103 or dennis.burns@cityofpaloalto.org.
