Report Claims Police Are Targeting Undocumented Immigrants


KEYT Assignment Desk

(Story Updated: Aug 6, 2010 at 8:49 PM PDT )

A new report suggests Santa Barbara Police may be unfairly targeting undocumented immigrants, in an effort to impound their cars through selective traffic enforcement.

A citizen researcher released a report claiming, police are focusing their attention on vehicles typically driven by undocumented immigrant drivers, and this has led to questions about the departments enforcement priorities.

It's an issue that's been brought up before on the Central Coast at DUI checkpoints, when more cars are impounded because a driver has an expired license or no license at all, than the number of drivers who are impaired.

The report was put together for PUEBLO, a community action group in Santa Barbara, which represents low-income residents. It indicates the issue has created a strained relationship with police, but not all citizens agree.

Santa Barbara Police were available for an on camera interview about this topic, but have offered their DUI checkpoint information and other enforcement reports for a comparison to the study.

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