Fresno BHC Calls for Independent Review of Naindeep Singh Traffic Stop and Action on Biased Policing
Stop that began over an expired registration sticker reflects patterns of biased policing documented in Fresno BHC’s 2025 report on racial profiling in Fresno traffic stops
FRESNO, CA – Fresno Building Healthy Communities calls on the City of Fresno to commission an independent review of the Fresno Police Department’s traffic stop and arrest of Central Unified trustee Naindeep Singh, including whether race played a role, and to release the body camera footage. On Tuesday, the department closed the case after Mr. Singh’s blood test came back negative.
Fresno BHC President & CEO Sandra Celedon issued the following statement:
“Last year, Fresno BHC and Catalyst California documented what many Fresno residents of color already know from first-hand experience. Fresno police spend almost all of their proactive patrol time on traffic stops, and those stops fall hardest on men of color. That is especially true for minor paperwork and equipment violations that have little to do with safety. Our analysis found that Black residents and South Asian and Southwest Asian residents are stopped at disproportionate rates. Among South Asian and Southwest Asian residents stopped, more than three in four were men.
Mr. Singh’s stop began with an expired registration sticker. That is exactly the kind of low-level violation our report flagged as a doorway to unnecessary escalation. Here it escalated to an arrest, a towed car, a hospital blood draw and a public accusation against a man the department has now cleared.
We appreciate that Chief Casto and Mayor Dyer apologized. But an apology is not accountability. The chief claims the officer did nothing wrong, and the only follow-up planned is a routine debrief. Fresno deserves more than that. The city should commission an independent review of this stop and release the body camera footage. That review should look at whether race played a role.
Most people stopped this way don’t get a press conference, a public platform or an expedited lab test. The question isn’t only what happened to Mr. Singh. It’s what happens to every other driver of color in Fresno who gets pulled over for an expired tag. That’s why we continue to call on the city to end stops for paperwork and equipment violations and focus its time on responding to actual calls for service.
We urge City Hall to take reform of the department seriously. That means finally implementing the Fresno Commission for Police Reform’s recommendations, creating independent oversight with real, public consequences for misconduct, and launching a public dashboard that shows where Fresno police make stops and who is making them. Every Fresno resident deserves to feel safe in every public space.”
Background
In February 2025, Fresno BHC and Catalyst California released Driven by Bias: An Analysis of Police Stops in Fresno. The report analyzes 2022 data the Fresno Police Department collected under California’s Racial and Identity Profiling Act (RIPA) and pairs it with residents’ accounts of their encounters with police. Key findings:
- 94% of people stopped by Fresno police were stopped in officer-initiated stops, not in response to calls for service. Of those officer-initiated stops, 99% were traffic stops.
- Black residents were stopped for paperwork and equipment violations at 2.4 times the rate of White residents.
- 80% of traffic stops ended in a citation. Only 0.5% ended in an arrest.
- Men of color made up 79% of the people officers used force against during stops.
Celedon served as vice-chair of the Fresno Commission for Police Reform. The commission delivered 73 recommendations to the City in 2020.
About Fresno Building Healthy Communities
Fresno Building Healthy Communities (Fresno BHC) brings community members, leaders, youth, nonprofit and faith-based organizations, and policymakers together to create #OneHealthyFresno, where all children and families can live healthy, safe and productive lives. Fresno BHC is building a long-term foundation for a healthier community, led by everyday people. It strengthens bonds within communities, builds bridges across diverse groups and organizations, and develops grassroots leaders to create an informed, engaged and active citizenry. Learn more at fresnobhc.org.
