CALIFORNIA GOVERNOR KILLS BILL ON RACIAL PROFILING

SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- California Gov. Gray Davis Tuesday vetoed a bill
which would have required police to compile ethnic and racial data
about the traffic stops they make, saying it was an ineffective
bulwark against "racial profiling" by law enforcement.

Davis, a Democrat, said in his veto message about the
"driving-while-black or brown" bill that he found so-called racial
profiling "abhorrent." He also said it could cost too much and place
too heavy a burden on law enforcement.

"It is questionable whether the information gathered -- at a potential
cost of tens of millions of dollars -- would provide any more
meaningful information than is currently available," Davis said in
killing the measure.

The governor's action was criticized by the American Civil Liberties
Union.

"For decades, people of color have been stopped by police simply
because of the color of their skin. This bill would have been a small,
but important step, in putting an end to racist police practices
throughout the state," said Michelle Alexander, director of the Racial
Justice Project at the ACLU of Northern California.

The ACLU earlier filed a federal suit against two state agencies --
the California Highway Patrol and the Bureau of Narcotics Enforcement
- -- accusing both of racial profiling, the practice of stopping people
on the basis of race.

The bill would have required the CHP and major police and sheriff's
departments to record detailed information on their traffic
enforcement activities, including total stops, the number of arrests,
warnings and citations, the number of searches and the reasons for the
stops.

The bill, dubbed the "DWB" or "Driving while Black or Brown" bill, was
proposed by state Sen. Kevin Murray of Los Angeles, a black who said
he himself had been one of many minority motorists who were unfairly
stopped because of their race or ethnicity.

It passed the state Assembly 61-16 and the state Senate 29- 0, and was
supported by the American Bar Association, civil rights organizations,
and minority law enforcement organizations.

While acknowledging that "racial profiling is a practice that presents
a great danger to the fundamental principles of a democratic society,"
Davis said he did not believe state government should impose
additional demands on law enforcement officers in its effort to stop
it.

Davis also said he had directed the California Highway Patrol to
launch a three-year program to record and analyze data on traffic
stops, and to add whatever other information can be gleaned by
voluntary submissions by local law enforcement agencies.

The issue of racial profiling has drawn national attention, and both
President Clinton and U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno have voiced
support for moves to begin comprehensive traffic stop data collection.