It will be mandatory for D.C. police to collect racial data on every individual they stop and frisk, along with other details of the incident, by the end of this month.
According to WTOP, the new requirement came as part of a court order, which is the result of a lawsuit filed by a number of rights groups; the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of the District of Columbia, Stop Police Terror Project D.C. and Black Lives Matter D.C.
The lawsuit was against Mayor Muriel Bowser, D.C. Police Chief Peter Newsham and Deputy Mayor Kevin Donahue over failure to comply with the Neighborhood Engagement Achieves Results (NEAR) Act.
It was passed by the D.C. Council in March 2016 following a rise in homicides the previous year, in order to reduce violent crimes and create transparency.
Mayor Bowser reportedly funded all 20 provisions of the NEAR Act in Fiscal Year 2017-2018. While some of the 20 provisions has been fully implemented, some are in the process of being put into place.
Supporters of racial equality groups hailed the court order over Twitter:
#BlackLivesMatter getting it done. DC police ordered by court to collect racial data on all stop-and-frisk incidents | WTOP https://t.co/99wPFvRQn6 via @WTOP
— Phillipe Copeland (@GandalfDaBlac) June 30, 2019
“We entrust our officers with extraordinary powers, but those powers must be paired with oversight … I urge the department to see the law’s requirements and the court order as opportunities to truly institutionalize a culture of transparency and accountability, build stronger relationships with communities of color, and ensure respectful and constitutional policing,” said D.C. Council member Charles Allen in a statement.