(U-WIRE) LOS ANGELES-Allegations that police officers practice racial profiling when stopping motorists has driven the Los Angeles City Council to request further research from police officials.

LAPD officers currently don’t document the race of drivers at traffic stops and LAPD Chief Bernard Parks said a study is unnecessary because his department doesn’t tolerate pulling drivers over because of their race.

Racial profiling, sometimes referred to as D.W.B., “driving while black or brown,” has gathered attention from the Los Angeles community members. As a result, the city council asked the Los Angeles Police Department to address the matter.

Keeping close watch of the issue, university police officials said they have had no complaints about racial profiling. Currently, UCPD doesn’t record race of drivers on traffic stops.

“We don’t record (ethnicity) on every stop – just arrests and certain violations,” said Nancy Greenstein, director of police community services. “It just depends on the situation.”

One UCLA student said racial profiling is a problem in Los Angeles and has affected him.

“I was pulled over, and the cop gave me a really lame excuse,” said Felipe Valdivia, a fifth-year Chicano-Chicana studies and Latin American studies student. “I was bald at the time, which most people relate to gang members. He had a smirk on his face, like he was making fun of me.”

The Los Angeles City Council, at its Oct. 20 meeting, asked Parks to develop the structure of a racial profiling study and determine when it is implemented.

“Accusations of racial profiling have been raised repeatedly in Los Angeles,” wrote Councilwoman Cindi Miscikowski in the motion. “There appears to be a significant public perception that racial profiling does exist as a practice of the Los Angeles Police Department.”

Legislation regarding race-based traffic stops has already reached the governor’s desk.

In late September, Gov. Gray Davis vetoed a California bill – proposed by State Sen. Kevin Murray (D-Los Angeles) – that aimed to reduce racial profiling. It would have required the California Highway Patrol and major police and sheriff’s departments to record the number of stops, arrests, warnings, citations, searches and also the reasons for stops.

Calling the legislation “abhorrent” in his veto message, Davis said the bill would have proved too costly and burdensome for police officials.

Despite costs, further research may be necessary to gauge the extent of the problem. Bobby Baldwin, a UCLA facilities staff member said statistics would be helpful to prove the allegations.

“We need to have hard numbers to either defeat or prove the accusations,” Baldwin said. “If the LAPD’s officers aren’t racist, then there should be no problems. It is part of their procedure to record information anyway.”