Data Shows Racial Disparity In California Arrests, Deaths In Custody
SACRAMENTO (CBS / AP) -- Newly released data shows that although just 6 percent of Californians are African Americans, they account for 17 percent of all arrests in the state and a quarter of in-custody deaths.
That figure was among a trove of data released Wednesday by the California Department of Justice in what officials say is a first-of-its-kind effort in the nation.
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The data, posted on a state-run website, paints a clearer picture of the disparity in the way police treat minorities. It comes after a number of high-profile, police-involved deaths of young black men this past year ignited a national debate on police practices.
The data is available on a website that launched at midnight.
The data also includes the number of police officers killed in the line of duty: 187 between 1980 and 2014.
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