Senate Bill 1074 enacted by the 77th Texas Legislature mandates that on or before March 1 of each year the Police Department will submit to the governing body of the municipality a report concerning the analysis of traffic stop data for the previous calendar year. The information contained in this report is from the period of January 1, 2007 to December 31, 2007, and meets the mandates of the law that is outlined in Article 2.132 of the Texas Code of Criminal Procedures.
Listed below are additional requirements of Senate Bill 1074 and steps taken by the Police Department to come into compliance with provisions of the law.
- Each law enforcement agency in the state must develop a detailed policy on racial profiling and its prohibition. The Farmers Branch Police Department had a policy prohibiting racial profiling in place prior to the introduction and passage of the law and has subsequently refined the policy to meet all guidelines set forth in the law.
- All law enforcement personnel are to receive training approved by the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement Officer Standards and Education concerning racial profiling. All Farmers Branch officers have met the training requirements.
- Each law enforcement agency in the state must implement a process by which an individual may file a complaint with the agency if the individual believes that a peace officer, employed by the agency, has engaged in racial profiling, and provide public education on the complaint process. The Farmers Branch Police Department already had a process in place by which resident’s complaints could be handled, and further posted a section on the City of Farmers Branch Web site to educate the public on the complaint process for any and all complaints regarding police personnel conduct to include racial profiling.
- Each law enforcement agency is required to collect information on race, ethnicity and searches on all traffic stops resulting in a citation or arrest. This data is known as tier one data, and the Farmers Branch Police Department has collected and analyzed this data in accordance with the law. The use of audio/video recording devices by the department in vehicles regularly used to conduct traffic/pedestrian stops exempts the agency from additional reporting requirements outlined in the law. The audio/video recordings are maintained for a period of 90 days and reviewed on a regular basis by supervisory personnel as required by law. An analysis of data collected and a review of audio/video recordings reveal there is no practice of racial profiling by personnel in the agency.
- In 2007 the Police Department received three complaints of racial profiling. Internal affairs investigated each of the complaints. All of the complaints resulted in a “no finding of fact.”
The attached documentation is being made available to the Farmers Branch City Council and City Manager in accordance with Article 2.132 of the Texas Code of Criminal Procedures.
The first graph (Farmers Branch 2000 Census Comparison) indicates while the population of Farmers Branch is 27,508 there were 13,686 traffic stops that resulted in the issuance of a citation/arrest. If everyone stopped had been a resident of Farmers Branch, it would indicate that half of the population of the City of Farmers Branch residents were involved in a traffic stop. However, as reflected in graph three (Farmers Branch Resident Violations), only 12 percent of the stops involved Farmers Branch residents. The remainder of the graph breaks out stops by race/ethnicity as compared to the Farmers Branch population.
.png "2007 Annual Report Chart")
The second graph (Dallas County 2000 Census Comparison) provides the same information as the first graph with the exception of using Dallas County 2000 Census data for the comparison.
.png "2007 Annual Report Chart")
The third graph (Farmers Branch Resident Violations) indicates where those stopped for traffic reside. Most notable is the fact that Farmers Branch residents accounted for only 12 percent, or 1,907, of the total traffic stops.
.png "2007 Annual Report Chart")
The fourth graph (Searches Resulting from Traffic Stops) indicates the number of vehicles searched during traffic stops and the types of searches conducted.
.png "2007 Annual Report Chart")
The fifth graph (Searches Resulting from Traffic Stops: Race/Ethnicity) breaks down by ethnic groups those who are subject to search during a traffic stop.
.png "2007 Annual Report Chart")
The final graph (Searches Resulting from Traffic Stops: Consent vs. Non-consent) breaks down searches into the two categories indicated.
.png "2007 Annual Report Chart")