LAPD Policing in Black Communities in Los Angeles

Using data from the Los Angeles Police Department, the California Department of Justice, and the American Community Survey, this story map analyzes LAPD policing of Black communities. Black communities make up a disproportionate share of LAPD stops and arrests and Black men and women are disproportionately the victims of crimes in Los Angeles. At the same time, other racial groups tend to make up less of a percentage of total stops, arrests, and crime victims than of their share of the total population.

Demographic data source:  American Community Survey . The maps below provide some context for what the city of Los Angeles looks like demographically and what the demographics of LAPD stops and arrests are.

An analysis of stops reveals that Black individuals make up a proportion of LAPD stops much greater than their proportion of the population. In 2019, Black stops made up 31% of all stops but the population of LA is just 9% Black. Meanwhile, White, Hispanic, and Asian stops each made up less than their share of the population.

The maps below show Black vehicle and pedestrian stops by LAPD reporting district between  2010-present . Many parts of the city show areas with high proportions of Black stops relative to the Black population. The map on the left shows areas with the most Black stops in light grey to brown colors and the map on the right shows areas with the greatest proportions of Black stops to Black population in light grey to brown colors.

The following hotspots help to understand which areas in particular have more Black stops compared to the Black population. The hotspots were calculated using Black stops divided by Black population for reporting districts. The two areas of focus are central LA and the Hollywood area.

Black individuals also make up a greater share of total arrests than they do in the overall population. From 2010-2019, Black stops made up 30% of all arrests but the population of LA is only 9% Black. This disproportionate relationship is reversed for Whites and Asians who make up a larger percent of the population than their arrests. Hispanic arrests and population are about the same.

The maps below show Black arrests by LAPD reporting district between  2010-2019 . Many parts of the city show areas with high proportions of Black arrests relative to the Black population. The map on the left shows areas with the most Black arrests in light grey to brown colors and the map on the right shows areas with the greatest proportions of Black arrests to Black population in light grey to brown colors.

The following hotspots help to understand which areas in particular have more Black arrests compared the the Black population. The hotspots were calculated using Black arrests divided by Black population for reporting districts. The two areas of focus are central LA and the Venice and Playa del Rey area.

In addition to disproportionate arrests and stops, Black individuals are disproportionately the victims of crimes. Black women are especially overrepresented, making up 12.3% of crime victims but just 4.5% of LA's population. Black men are also overrepresented, making up 8.6% of crime victims but just 4.1% of the population. Men and women for each of the other three racial groups included below are underrepresented as crime victims.

Of the civilian complaints to the LAPD, a vast majority of them are unsubstantiated. For total complaints in 2019, only 2.15% of them were sustained. For racial profiling complaints in 2019, none were sustained.

The analysis presented in this story map reveals a significant over-representation of Black communities in policing. Black individuals are stopped and arrested disproportionately to their share of the population. These patterns are not distributed equally across the city, with certain areas revealing higher amounts of policing of Black communities than others. Meanwhile, Black individuals are also disproportionately the victims of crimes, especially Black women. Finally, the vast majority of civilian complaints against police officers, and racial profiling complaints, in particular, are either pending, unfounded, exonerated, or not sustained. This raises questions about how responsive the LAPD is to civilian complaints. It is crucial that safety is prioritized for Black residents in Los Angeles. Looking towards the future of racial equity and accountability, the City of Los Angeles is committed to effectively addressing the disproportionate impacts of policing in Black communities.