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How Often Are Firearms Confiscated During Traffic Stops?

By Deepak Premkumar, Andrew Skelton, Magnus Lofstrom

As more localities consider reforms intended to reduce police stops for minor traffic violations, it is important to evaluate how instrumental these stops are in seizing illicit firearms. We look at the state’s eight largest police departments and find significant variation in how often searches during traffic stops result in firearms being confiscated.

blog post

Concerns about Crime Are Up, Views of Police Are Down

By Deja Thomas

The share of Californians saying that violence and street crime is a problem in their community has increased from a year ago, and the share saying that the police are doing an excellent or good job controlling crime has declined. Views on crime and policing vary notably across demographic groups, including by race and ethnicity.

Report

Assessing the Impact of COVID-19 on Arrests in California

By Deepak Premkumar, Thomas Sloan, Magnus Lofstrom, Joseph Hayes

At the onset of COVID-19, California’s criminal justice system was affected by shelter-in-place orders and other public health measures, along with law enforcement directives intended to minimize exposure to the virus. We found that pandemic arrest trends mirror mobility patterns, particularly early on. But other factors, such as a shift in policing strategies, also played a role.

Policy Brief

Policy Brief: Assessing the Impact of COVID-19 on Arrests in California

By Deepak Premkumar, Thomas Sloan, Magnus Lofstrom, Joseph Hayes

California’s criminal justice system was affected by shelter-in-place orders and other public health measures during the COVID-19 pandemic, along with law enforcement directives intended to minimize exposure to the virus. We found that pandemic arrest trends mirror mobility patterns, particularly early on. But other factors also played a role.

blog post

How a New Way of Counting Prisoners Has Changed Redistricting

By Jennifer Paluch, Eric McGhee, Heather Harris

For the purposes of drawing state legislative and congressional districts, California now counts state prisoners as residents of their last known address, rather than as residents of prisons. Though the effects are small, communities with large numbers of residents who have been sent to prison now do not lose representation to the few communities in which the prisons are located.

Report

The Effects of COVID-19 on Transfer-Intending Students in California’s Community Colleges

By Cesar Alesi Perez, Jacob Jackson, Marisol Cuellar Mejia, Olga Rodriguez ...

The pandemic disrupted enrollment, persistence, and course success for many transfer-intending students at California community colleges, especially those from vulnerable and underrepresented groups. Yet critical pre-pandemic reforms as well as actions taken by colleges and faculty may have helped limit the pandemic’s impact for some who stayed enrolled.

event

Racial Disparities in Traffic Stops

Traffic stops are a key factor in racial disparities in law enforcement encounters. PPIC researcher Magnus Lofstrom will present new findings on how disparities in traffic stops differ across agency type, type of traffic violation, and time of day. Then a panel of state and local experts will discuss the challenges of traffic enforcement and alternative approaches that could potentially improve officer and civilian safety while reducing racial inequities.

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