Report Finds Indications of Racial Bias in San Francisco Police Department

VOA News

A U.S. Department of Justice report has found many indications of bias against minorities within the San Francisco Police Department.

The report, which also found that most of the deadly force incidents by the department involved minorities, was released Wednesday following the killing of a young black man and other fatal shootings.

The death of Mario Woods in December 2015 sparked protests in the northwestern California city and led to the resignation of police chief Greg Suhr.

The six-month probe concluded that the department inadequately tracks investigating officers’ use of force, provides poor anti-bias training and lacks transparency in its disciplinary process.

The report proposes 272 changes for the police department, which has been the target of scandals in the past year over fatal shootings and racist and homophobic text messages that have exacerbated relations between the police force and minority communities.

The report found no proof of racial bias by officers or the agency as a whole; however, it did conclude that San Francisco police stop African-American drivers in disproportionately high numbers and that black and Latino drivers were more likely than whites to be searched.