The Coalition to End Biased Stops is highlighting new data showing that the S.F. ‘Pretext Stops’ policy has reduced racial profiling. The percentage of Black drivers stopped for non-moving violations (including the nine that are restricted under the pretext stop policy; ex. having a broken taillight) has dropped by 10%. Black drivers are no longer the most commonly stopped racial group for non-moving violations.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Jan. 14, 2026
MEDIA CONTACT: PDR-MediaRelations@sfgov.org
**PRESS RELEASE**
New Data Shows ‘Pretext Stops’ Policy Has Reduced Racial Profiling in San Francisco
Reduction in racially-biased traffic stops coincides with continued decline in crimes.
SAN FRANCISCO—The Coalition to End Biased Stops is celebrating newly released San Francisco Police Department data showing that San Francisco’s “pretext stops” policy is already reducing racially-biased traffic stops alongside an overall decrease in crime.
The pretext stops policy—Department General Order (DGO) 9.07—restricts the use of nine vehicle code violations as the primary reason for a traffic stop, which are among those most often used as a pretext to stop, search, and detain Black and Brown drivers. The policy was developed because, according to the SFPD’s own analysis, SFPD officers stopped Black individuals at 6 times the rate of white individuals, searched Black individuals at more than 10 times the rate of white individuals, and used force on Black individuals at more than 21 times the rate of white individuals.
The San Francisco Police Commission adopted DGO 9.07 in January 2024 after extensive community outreach, expert consultation, and input from the SFPD. The policy went into effect in July 2024.
Tonight’s Police Commission meeting will address SFPD’s response to a Department of Police Accountability (DPA) audit on how SFPD collects traffic stop data. The Coalition is urging the Commission to schedule a separate public meeting to discuss the first data report on the Pretext Stops policy.
New Data Highlights
According to newly released data from SFPD, from January 2024 through September 2025:
- The percentage of Black drivers who were stopped for non-moving violations (including the nine that are restricted under the pretext stop policy, such as having a broken taillight) has dropped by 10%.
- Black drivers are no longer the most commonly stopped racial group for non-moving violations.
- While the overall number of traffic stops has increased, the percentage of stops of Black drivers has decreased by 2% since DGO 9.07 was adopted.
“The initial impacts of this policy show that we can reduce the over-policing of communities of color without compromising public safety. The Police Commission should continue to uphold and monitor this policy to protect the public from harmful and wasteful pretext stops,” said Mano Raju, the elected Public Defender of San Francisco, whose office’s Integrity Unit played a leadership role in the Coalition.
What are ‘Pretext Stops’?
“Pretext stops” occur when police conduct a traffic stop for a non-safety violation as an excuse to detain the driver or occupants of the car for another unrelated reason, even when no crime has occurred. This is a police tactic long linked to racial profiling that wreaks untold economic, physical, psychological, and intergenerational harm, especially against Black people.
DGO 9.07 is an evidence-based solution to a problem that has plagued SFPD for as long as it has collected data: persistently high racial disparities in traffic stops, searches, and uses of force.
What Comes Next?
The Coalition is urging the Police Commission to:
- Closely review SFPD’s implementation and compliance;
- Strengthen the policy if disparities persist or new ones emerge;
- Ensure data integrity and transparency, including continued oversight of reporting practices.
The Coalition will continue to educate the public about their rights under the new pretext stops policy by providing training sessions and disseminating know your rights information.
Statements from the Coalition
“San Francisco’s pretext stops policy has been a critical tool to combat racist traffic stops and searches of Black drivers in particular. We know that all too often, these stops can escalate, resulting in serious injury or death. So, a 10 percent decline in stops of Black drivers for non-moving violations like a broken taillight could save lives,” said Yoel Haile, director of the Criminal Law & Immigration Project at the ACLU of Northern California.
“The Police Commission, SFPD, and DPA should be proud that the policy has resulted in reduced racial disparities while crime has fallen in San Francisco,” said Brian Cox, the director of the Public Defender’s Office Integrity Unit. “We must use the success of this research-based policy and model of community engagement as a catalyst to find other ways to reduce racial disparities in the criminal legal system.”
“Our community members deserve to feel safe when they drive, bike, or walk down the street. As demonstrated by the latest data, the pretext stop policy can help communities of color feel less targeted by police stops and make the entire community safer by focusing resources on promoting safety, rather than non-safety related traffic stops,” said Eleana Binder, Policy Director for Glide Foundation.
The Coalition to End Biased Stops is a broad alliance of civil rights, transportation safety, immigrant rights, legal advocacy, and community-based organizations that led the multi-year campaign to end racially biased traffic stops in San Francisco and advance evidence-based, community-driven public safety reforms.
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The Coalition to End Biased Stops sent the following letter to the Police Commission on Jan. 14, 2026.