CALIFORNIA OFFICERS ACCUSED OF RACIAL BIAS IN ACLU SUIT

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- Two state police agencies were named Thursday in a
lawsuit demanding an end to "racial profiling," the use of race or color to
decide who is stopped by officers on the highway.

The federal lawsuit was filed by the American Civil Liberties Union against
the California Highway Patrol and the state Bureau of Narcotics Enforcement.

The ACLU asks for unspecified damages and an injunction forbidding the
practice. It also asks that the agencies collect data on the race and ethnic
background of motorists stopped for traffic violations.

The suit stems from an incident on June 6, 1998, when Curtis Rodriguez, a
Hispanic attorney from San Jose, observed five traffic stops in a 10-mile
stretch of Highway 152 near Pacheco Pass, about 90 miles south of San
Francisco.

All the drivers were Hispanic, the suit said.

As his passenger, attorney Arturo Hernandez, took pictures of the last two
stops, Rodriguez was pulled over. He said the CHP officer told him he was
stopped for having his headlights on and for "touching the line."

Rodriquez refused permission for the officer to search his car, but the
officer searched it anyway, he said. He found nothing and, after a lengthy
delay, let the men go without citing them.

"What happened on Pacheco Pass that day was illegal, it was immoral, it was
racist, and it's high time these practices stop," Rodriguez said.

On Wednesday, the ACLU released a study in New York on racial profiling that
said the war on drugs has resulted in a sharp increase in the practice.

In April, North Carolina became the first state to require data collection
on traffic stops. Similar bills have been introduced in Congress and in
California, Arkansas, Connecticut, Florida, Maryland, Massachusetts, New
Jersey, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Texas and Virginia.