San Rafael Police Oversight Body Adopts MVFREE Equitable Policing Recommendations
By MVFREE Police Team, July 2025 Newsletter
The MVFREE Police Team was invited to present on May 21 to the San Rafael Police Advisory and Accountability Committee (PAAC) on the data and resources available under Racial and Identity Profiling Act (RIPA), and how they can be used to advance San Rafael’s equitable policing objectives. See MVFREE RIPA Slide Presentation.
Our review of San Rafael Police Department (SRPD) RIPA data shows that—like all Marin County agencies and more than 90% of California agencies—the SRPD stops Black and Latinx people at substantially higher rates than they do White people, disparities that are not justified by findings of criminal conduct. The San Rafael data revealed that two SRPD practices have an especially significant impact on the City’s racial stop disparities:
Community members’ race-based calls for service; and
Racially disparate pretext stops.
SRPD RIPA Data on Race-Based Calls for Service
San Rafael community members:
Call the police about Latinx people at 1.6 times the rate they do about White people, and
Call the police about Black people at 9.7 times the rate they do about White people.
In more than half of these calls, the SRPD finds no evidence of criminal conduct.
SRPD RIPA Data on Pretext Stops
Pretext Stop Defined: In the context of RIPA recommendations, a pretext stop is a stop based on any minor administrative or equipment Infraction (things like expired registration, lighting equipment and license plate violations). Agencies typically do not prioritize citations for these infractions. But the stops are commonly used as a “pretext” to justify an unwarranted investigation where the officer has no reason to suspect criminal conduct.
Latinx people face SRPD pretext stops at 2.6 times the rate of White people.
Black people face SRPD pretext stops at 15 times the rate of White people.
Over 95% of the time, SRPD pretext stops result in no finding of criminal conduct.
Pretext stops do not contribute significantly to SRPD law enforcement objectives
MVFREE’s Four RIPA-Informed Recommendations
Based on these findings, MVFREE proposed, and the San Rafael PAAC voted to adopt, four targeted strategies recommended by the RIPA Board that will immediately reduce racial policing disparities in San Rafael and put the SRPD on a path to continuous improvement.
1. Adopt a RIPA-informed “bias by proxy” policy and protocols to reduce and ultimately eliminate race-based calls for service in San Rafael. The Mill Valley Police Department worked with MVFREE to implement this strategy which led to a 25% reduction in call for service disparities in the first year.
2. Implement a pilot program eliminating pretext stops as called for by the RIPA Board to reduce needless Black and Latinx stops in San Rafael. Eliminating SRPD pretext stops would reduce total annual SRPD stops of Latinx people by 14.2% and would reduce total annual SRPD stops of Black people by 17.8% without harming law enforcement outcomes or objectives.
3. Establish and monitor performance metrics using SRPD RIPA data to assess and improve equitable policing strategies. RIPA disparity findings provide a baseline for future comparisons. Once RIPA-recommended remedial strategies are in place, the City can set annual data-informed benchmarks and revise strategies as necessary to achieve its equitable policing goals.
4. Conduct an annual RIPA equity assessment to map a course for continuous improvement. Under RIPA, police agencies collect demographic data on a wide range of police practices and different identity groups. An annual RIPA equity assessment enables a jurisdiction to gradually expand its areas of analysis until it is satisfied that it has addressed all potential areas of concern and has achieved its equitable policing goals.
Will San Rafael Implement the PAAC Recommendations? What Happens Next?
We are grateful to the PAAC for its careful consideration and action in support of equitable policing in San Rafael. MVFREE has reached out to the San Rafael Mayor, City Council, Police Chief and PAAC and stands ready to assist with the identification and implementation of RIPA policies and best practices as well as with research and data analysis as needed.
The PAAC has formed a subcommittee to advance the recommendations and is expected to report out in the fall. MVFREE will closely monitor this process and continue to report.