Warren Says He Had No Part In Jaywalking Enforcement Increases By Sac PD

Sacramento City Councilman Allen Warren says he had nothing to do with a recent increase in traffic and jaywalking enforcement in his district. This is more fallout from last week's violent arrest of a man for jaywalking.

According to the Sacramento Police Department, 68 percent of jaywalking citations last year were issued in the Arden, Marconi, and Del Paso Heights areas of Allen Warren's district.

The data was released as part of a written statement that provided a partial racial breakdown of jaywalking citations, as well as sections of the state and city vehicle code.

The statement also described the department's reasons for increased enforcement in north Sacramento, "A comprehensive strategy was developed with input from the District 2 Council Office. This strategy included directed enforcement of the laws and ordinances surrounding pedestrian safety, most notably, the two sections referenced above."

But, Warren says that's not true.

"I don't recall having any discussions with them about it. I've checked with my staff. They have no recollection," says Warren. "I also checked with the Del Paso Boulevard Partnership. They have no recollection."

The data shows 48 percent of city citations were issued to black people. Warren says his district is only 21 percent black.

"The kind of numbers that we saw demonstrated a disproportionate amount of arrests or citations in District 2 and if you look at the numbers even further, it appears that African Americans were targeted,"says Warren. "You know, that's unacceptable."

Warren has asked Sacramento City Manager Howard Chan to investigate the police department's traffic enforcement policies, the city's definition of jaywalking and record-keeping that classifies Caucasians and Latinos as white.

The police department has not yet responded to Warren's statements.