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.
Click on "Online Reports" to view the most recent traffic stop data.