CALIF. POLICE SUED FOR PROFILING

SAN FRANCISCO - 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 suit 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.