RIPA FAQ

• What is RIPA?
• Who must comply with RIPA?
• When do I have to collect and report RIPA stop data?
• What data must be collected for RIPA?
• What is the best way to collect and report the RIPA stop data?

The California legislature passed Assembly Bill #953 in 2015 (AB-953). Known as the Racial and Identity Profiling Act (RIPA), the bill requires all law enforcement agencies in the state to “collect perceived demographic and other detailed data regarding pedestrian and traffic stops”. The data is not to be collected from identification like a passport or driver's license. Rather, the data is based upon the officer's perception of the person they stopped.

The RIPA law requires the majority of California’s law enforcement agencies to collect this information on all “stops” – defined as any detention or search (including consensual searches) – and report this information to the California Department of Justice (DOJ).

The RIPA reporting requirements apply to:

• all city and county law enforcement agencies
• the California Highway Patrol
• all police departments of California state educational institutions
  (K-12 public school districts)
• all police departments of California university institutions
  (University of California, California State University, and California Community Colleges)

This requirement does not apply to probation officers, and only applies to custodial officers if they make stops in noncustodial settings.

Your agency's size determines when it must start collecting and reporting stop data:

The data must be reported to the California Department of Justice (DOJ) at least annually.

The RIPA law requires peace officers to collect data on every stop of a citizen:

• Observed age, race, gender, disabilities (not from an ID)
• Date, time, and location of the stop
• Reason for the stop
• Actions taken during the stop
• Search information
• Evidence found
• Property seized
• Result of the stop

There are strict data format requirements that must be adhered to when reporting the data to the CA DOJ.

RIPALog has created an app that makes it easy for officers to report the required stop data using their cell phone or tablet. The app makes sure the required data is collected in the required format, avoiding re-work. The RIPALog app streamlines the reporting process, allowing officers to comply with the law quickly, and free up their time for important policing duties.