Black residents make up 5.7% of San Diego's population but account for 26% of arrests, according to SDPD data released under the California Public Records Act.
SAN DIEGO — New data reveals a significant racial disparity in arrests made by the San Diego Police Department, with Black residents being arrested at a rate seven times higher than white residents.
According to arrest data released by SDPD under the California Public Records Act, Black San Diegans comprise less than 6% of the city's population but accounted for 26% of arrests last year. The data shows the disparity has remained consistent over the past three years, despite Black arrest rates dropping significantly statewide over the past three decades.
"A disparity refers to a difference in outcomes between groups, such as the likelihood of being stopped or searched, without necessarily implying intent," said San Diego Police Captain Charles Lara. "Discrimination involves intent, and when allegations of discriminatory policing arise, we take them seriously and investigate them thoroughly."
Lara added that broader societal conditions, including poverty, housing instability, education, and unemployment, often shape disparities in policing.
Deepak Premkumar, a researcher at the Public Policy Institute of California, focusing on criminal justice, noted that arrest data is "important, but it's just one piece of the puzzle."
"One is differences in offending rates, differences in structural factors, differences in poverty, differences in communities where racial groups reside," Premkumar explained when discussing reasons for the inequity.
In a statement, SDPD acknowledged that Black residents are disproportionately represented among San Diego's homeless population, which contributes to disparities in contact. The department also noted that Black residents make up nearly 17% of violent crime victims and 27% of suspects.
However, community justice advocate and attorney Geneviéve Jones-Wright criticized the department's explanation.
"This is all a part of what I call copaganda," she said. "What we're seeing is disparities that are being fueled by racialized undertones, discrimination, stereotypes, and historic inequality that now has a place in our modern-day policing."
SDPD stated that the department has made significant investments in academy training focused on bias and policing in diverse communities.
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"Although the racial disparity gap has diminished since the 1990s," Lara said, "It is still notable today."
However, pinpointing a concrete reason for this disparity — both in San Diego and across California — isn't so easy, Premkumar says.
The racial disparity also varies significantly from county to county. Various policing strategies, offending rates, structural factors, and poverty all play roles in it, he said.
This aligns with what Lara said about the disparity.
"In East Village — where many unhoused individuals reside — our engagement around quality-of-life concerns tends to be higher," he said. "Both residents and city leaders regularly ask us to respond to these challenges, particularly those related to homelessness. Black residents are disproportionately represented among San Diego’s homeless population, which contributes to disparities in contact."
He said Black San Diegans make up nearly 17% of the violent crime victims and 27% of suspects.
"Our efforts to prevent and respond to violent crime, especially in neighborhoods most impacted, can result in more frequent contact with those communities," Lara said.
