The year 2019 passed without a single allegation of racial profiling being levied against the Hays County Sheriff’s Office, according to the department’s annual Racial Profiling report, which was approved by the Commissioners Court Feb. 25.
According to the report, which was prepared by Records Program Administrator Stephanie Robinson, 60 percent of traffic stops last year were for “moving traffic” violations. Next came stops for “vehicle traffic” violations at 29 percent.
A moving traffic violation is any violation that occurs while the vehicle is in motion, like speeding and failing to signal a turn. A vehicle traffic violation is more equipment or paperwork related, like an expired registration or a taillight that is out.
Of drivers stopped, 71 percent involved were white, while 23.1 percent were Hispanic and 4.5 percent black.
Only one percent of traffic stops resulted in an arrest. Twenty one percent involved a citation and 75 percent of the drivers were issued a warning.
When it came to total citations, 63.44 percent of citations were whites, 31.20 Hispanic and 4.29 were black.
Of the total in written warnings, 79.8 percent were given to whites, 15.2 percent to Hispanics and 3.6 percent to Blacks.
The HCSO also conducted 505 consent and non-consent searches last year. Sixty-three white drivers gave consent to search while 251 did not. Thirty-eight Hispanic drivers gave consent while 120 did not and two black drivers gave consent while 28 did not. Non-consent searches, the report says, were the result of “probably cause, contraband in view, vehicle inventory or incident to arrest.”
Of 505 total searches, 346 resulted in a “hit,” which is the discovery of drugs, weapons, alcohol, currency, stolen property and other items. Of 314 searches of white drivers, 232 resulted in a hit, while of 158 searches of Hispanics, 98 resulted in a hit and of 30 searches of black drivers, 15 resulted in a hit.
HCSO personnel used force that resulted in bodily injury 17 times during 2019. Of those, 14 involved individuals who were white and two involved Hispanic individuals. No use of force was noted against black individuals.
Racial profiling reports have been required of law enforcement agencies for years. However, the Sandra Bland Act of 2017 removed some exemptions and mandated all agencies to comply with provisions of the Texas Code of Criminal Procedures.
