Racial and Identity Profiling Act (RIPA) Data

The Racial and Identity Profiling Act (RIPA) of 2015 requires all California law enforcement agencies to collect specific information on certain types of police contacts (detentions, and contacts during which a person is searched).  The Palo Alto Police Department's legal obligation to collect and submit this data to the California Department of Justice began with calendar year 2022.  We are committed to sharing the data with our community, and will update our data on an annual basis moving forward.  Explore our data in one of two ways:

View Interactive RIPA Data Dashboard           View Raw RIPA Data

The Palo Alto Police Department believes in fair and impartial policing, free from discrimination or bias. We are committed to providing outstanding service while respecting the racial, cultural, and other differences of those we serve in our diverse community.

What is RIPA and what data is collected?

The Racial and Identity Profiling Act (RIPA) of 2015 requires all California law enforcement agencies to collect specific information on certain types of police contacts (detentions and contacts during which a person is searched).

The data is entered by our officers at the completion of their interaction with the person. The data required to be collected includes:

  • the date, time, duration, and location of the stop
  • information about the stopped person, as perceived by the officer:
    • race or ethnicity
    • gender
    • age
    • if the officer perceived the person to be LGBT
    • if the officer perceived the person as having limited or no English fluency
    • if the officer perceived the person as having a disability
  • the reason for the stop
  • if the stop was made in response to a call for service 
  • actions taken by the officer during the stop
  • the basis for any search and if property was seized
  • if any contraband or evidence was discovered
  • the result of the stop 
  • the officer's unique identification number, years of experience at the time of the stop, and assignment at the time of the stop 

How can I view the RIPA data from PAPD?

The RIPA data is available for public review in two ways, both of which are accessible by clicking one of the two green boxes above on this page:

1. View an interactive RIPA data dashboard that displays the data by applying user-defined filters.

2. View and download the raw data from the City's Open Data Portal.

  • Note that there are five technical data dictionaries that provide definitions for some fields contained in the raw data. They are each available for viewing and download on the City's Open Data Portal here.  The titles of these datasets all begin with "AB 953 Technical Data Dictionary."

How do I use the interactive RIPA dashboard?

Enter our interactive RIPA dashboard by clicking the green button above on this page (the one labeled "View Interactive RIPA Data Dashboard").

Once the dashboard opens in a new window, you will see two tabs, "General" and "Individual."  There are many different tables of data on each of these two tabs.  You can explore the data however you would like.  Here are two common ways to start:

  • Use one or more of the three filters in the green drop-down menus on the left side of either tab.  The displayed data will adjust accordingly according to the filter(s) you have selected.

  • Each data element in each table is clickable, and tailors the data displayed to the element you have selected.  To return to viewing all of the data, click on any data element in each table twice and the dashboard will reset.

 

If you are interested in the definitions of the various RIPA data elements, view the California Code of Regulations governing RIPA data collection(PDF, 596KB).  Note that definitions of the various RIPA data elements begins on page 5 of that file.  All of the RIPA data elements are defined by the California Code of Regulations, not the City of Palo Alto or the Palo Alto Police Department.

How are the data elements defined?

All of the RIPA data elements are defined by the California Code of Regulations, not the City of Palo Alto or the Palo Alto Police Department.

View the California Code of Regulations governing RIPA data collection(PDF, 596KB), and note that definitions of the various RIPA data elements begins on page 5 of that file.

What does the RIPA data show?

As a result of RIPA, law enforcement agencies now have access to more statistical information about detentions and searches than ever before.  The interpretation and analysis of RIPA data, though, is complex and nuanced.

The Police Department is actively working with the City Manager's Office to identify an independent, third-party qualified data analyst to review the Department's 2022 RIPA data and publish a written report with their findings. City staff are hopeful that an analyst can be retained in the near future, with their written report forthcoming by early 2024.  Once available, we will publish that report on this page.

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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