The guarantee to all persons of equal protection under the law is one of the most fundamental principles of our democratic society. To protect this essential right, law enforcement agencies should adopt policies that ensure officers perform their duties in a non-discriminatory manner.
Criminal activity transcends race or ethnicity.
Law enforcement officers should not rely on generalized stereotypes, attitudes or beliefs about the propensity of any racial, ethnic, or national origin group to engage in unlawful activity. Agencies should have a clear and widely disseminated policy prohibiting law enforcement officers from discriminating on the basis of race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, gender, disability, or sexual orientation in performing their law enforcement duties. Agencies should mandate that law enforcement personnel receive clear and thorough education and training initially and periodically thereafter to explain their nondiscrimination, use of force, search and seizure, and other citizen interaction policies. Traffic Stops Law enforcement officers should not consider a person's race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, gender, disability or sexual orientation in deciding which vehicles to subject to a traffic stop, search, or other post-stop action, except where officers are on the lookout for, or are seeking to stop, detain, or apprehend one or more specific persons who are identified or described in part by these characteristics. These methods include, but are not limited to, data collection on race, ethnicity, and gender, citizen satisfaction surveys, sampling techniques, the use of in-car video systems, an effective citizen complaint system, and supervisory oversight .