By Moses Leos III.
The number of flashing police lights in rearview mirrors has gone up recently in Buda, according to the 2013 Racial Profiling Statistics report released Feb 4.
Texas Criminal Code of Procedure requires the annual report, which breaks down the number of citations issued based on factors including race, sex and the status of such cases.
In 2013, the department handled 1,884 cases, issuing 2,263 violation citations. Those numbers increased from the year previous, with 312 more cases handled and 318 more citations issued.
Buda Police Chief Bo Kidd attributes the uptick to more officers on the road.
Buda currently has twelve officers; four more than in 2010.
With one dedicated traffic officer, Kidd expects his officers to aid in traffic enforcement, accounting for roughly five to ten percent of their day.
He also stresses that his officers follow his philosophy of enforcing public safety, not blatant ticket writing.
“There’s no shift in our strategy,” Kidd said. “The more officers you have on the street, the more proactive time they have to do proactive things.”
He receives weekly traffic complaints, many of them due to truckers travelling through downtown.
The report also showed an increase in probable case (PC) searches—62 in 2013, up from a combined total of 42 conducted between 2011 and 2012.
Kidd was unconcerned about the increase, saying only three percent of all cases featured a PC search, compared to two percent in 2012.
He attributed the increase to more encounters from patrol officers. He also said the department has taken a stance to allow officers to forgo consent if the situation warrants.
“I think that we have an experienced group,” Kidd said. “If they have probable cause to conduct a search, they will not ask for consent.”
According to the report, the number of residents versus non-residents involved in stops also increased.
Kidd said travelers on IH-35 accounted for the majority of cases, many of them truckers. Locally, the increase is due to more enforcement in subdivisions.
“We have had higher demand of traffic enforcement in subdivisions,” he said.
What didn’t increase was the racial breakdown for traffic stops and violations; that number remained constant from 2012.
As for complaints of racial profiling, three were levied against the Buda Police Department in its three-year history, none in 2013.
The two previous complaints were filed against former Buda police officer Patrick Cheatham, who now works for the Austin Police Department.
While such cases are rare, Kidd said video technology helps the department monitor any complaints.
It also provides a basis for the department to record all traffic stops, limiting the amount of documentation. BPD has written only two documented warnings in three years.
The department keeps most traffic-stop videos between 90 days and six months, Kidd said, but archives those from criminal cases.
Kidd said video is an asset, as it helps determine what really happened.
“Where I sit, video is a great tool that protects the officer and makes my job easier,” he said. “When we get a complaint, I pull up the video. I can see firsthand what occurred.”
