Since 1998 Californians have accused the CHP of conducting a racial profiling policy as a strategy in the War on Drugs, stopping Blacks and Hispanics for minor traffic violations and attempting to intimidate or trick them into agreeing to a "consentual search" of their vehicles.

"On June 6, 1998 Curtis Rodriguez, a Latino attorney from San Jose, observed five traffic stops and at least ten CHP and BNE vehicles within a 10-mile stretch. All of the persons stopped were Latino, and were standing outside of their cars by the side of the highway. Distressed by what they were witnessing, Rodriguez and his passenger, Arturo Hernandez, decided that it was important to document these race-based police stops to prove to others what they had seen. Hernandez took pictures of the fourth and fifth stops of Latino drivers, while Rodriguez concentrated on obeying the speed limit and all traffic laws, to avoid giving the police any excuse to pull them over. Despite these precautions, a CHP vehicle pulled behind Rodriguez and began to follow his car, right after they passed the fifth stop. The CHP officer told Rodriguez that he had been pulled over because his car "had touched the line" and because he had turned his headlights on. (Drivers are advised to turn on their headlights in this section of Highway 152)."

From SCLU Press Release: ACLU Files Racial Profiling Lawsuit Against the CHP

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