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Crime and Law Enforcement in California
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Recent years have presented a number of challenges for criminal justice in California and nationally, due to pandemic-related disruptions as well as heightened attention to racial disparities in police conduct. PPIC researchers have been examining trends in arrests and law enforcement staffing, Californians’ views on crime and policing, efforts to prevent gun violence, and other topics.
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Assessing the Impact of COVID-19 on Arrests in California
Deepak Premkumar, Thomas Sloan, Magnus Lofstrom, and Joseph Hayes
We find that pandemic arrest trends mirrored mobility patterns, particularly early in the pandemic. But other factors, such as a shift in policing strategies, also played a role.
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Arrests in California
Magnus Lofstrom, Joseph Hayes, Brandon Martin, and Andrew Skelton
After falling dramatically over the past few decades, California’s overall arrest rate reached a historic low in 2021, during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Law Enforcement Staffing in California
Brandon Martin, Magnus Lofstrom, and Andrew Skelton
Statewide staffing levels dropped significantly in 2021. Almost half of California’s law enforcement officers work for municipal police departments.
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Police Use of Force and Racial Disparities during Traffic Stops
Deepak Premkumar, Magnus Lofstrom, Andrew Skelton
PPIC research has found notable racial disparities in traffic stops—in both the likelihood of being stopped and the likelihood of a search, enforcement, intrusiveness, and/or use of force during that stop.
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Californians Prioritize Controlling Gun Ownership
Rachel Lawler
Two in three Californians believe that controlling gun ownership should be prioritized over the right to own guns, and the share prioritizing gun control has grown over the last decade.
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Concerns about Crime Are Up, Views of Police Are Down
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.
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California’s Notable Declines in Law Enforcement Staffing
Magnus Lofstrom, Brandon Martin, Andrew Skelton
California saw a sizeable drop in staffing across law enforcement agencies between 2020 and 2021, part of a longer-term decline.
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Human Trafficking in California
Heather Harris
California accounts for a declining share of the human trafficking incidents that occur nationally. But detecting human trafficking is challenging, and understanding the scope of trafficking is critical to combatting this kind of exploitation.
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How Often Are Firearms Confiscated During Traffic Stops?
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.
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Assessing the Impact of COVID-19 on Arrests in California
February 9, 2023 | Virtual
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