SDPD: Public Perceptions of Racial Profiling Can Be Wrong

Paul Alexander takes notes during a San Diego Police Department presentation on racial profiling

Every year the San Diego Police Department invites the public to experience what police recruits go through in the academy. Video game-like simulators show them what it’s like to weave through traffic with sirens on and talk down a suspect with a knife.

This year the department held one of its open house events in Encanto and for the first time, gave the public a look at how it trains against racial profiling.

The location is significant. It’s one of the city’s most heavily policed neighborhoods and has been at the center of local discussions about race and law enforcement.