Pubdate: Wed, 04 Feb 2004 Source: Dallas Morning News (TX) Copyright: 2004 The Dallas Morning News Contact: http://www.dallasnews.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/117 Author: Christy Hoppe,The Dallas Morning News RACE DISPARITY SEEN IN TRAFFIC STOPS, SEARCHES Minorities, Law Enforcement Debate Whether Study Shows Profiling AUSTIN - Blacks and Hispanics stopped for traffic violations are more likely to be searched than Anglos in six of every seven jurisdictions in Texas, a statewide study of police records released Tuesday shows. Minorities also are pulled over and ticketed at a higher rate than white drivers by three-fourths of law-enforcement departments, according to the study commissioned by a coalition of civil rights groups. The data, collected from 413 law enforcement agencies and based on 2002 traffic records, indicates racial profiling, said Will Harrell, state executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union. "The numbers demonstrate everything to me that we've known and have been saying for years. But the numbers say so objectively," Mr. Harrell said. Dwight Steward, the University of Texas economics professor who compiled the study, said the data showed significant racial disparities that could not be explained statistically. "I can't say it's racial profiling, but I think there's something behind it," he said. James McLaughlin Jr., executive director of the Texas Police Chiefs Association, said the racial-profiling assertion is the same one he's heard for years - and he says the numbers do not necessarily prove the allegation. "It depends on if you're talking about a time of day, a part of town, a particular shift," he said, adding that the crime history of an area also plays a role in who is searched. "All these things have to be factored in," said Mr. McLaughlin, who was police chief in Addison for 10 years. Communication a key He also said that the most frequent problem in the field is how officers communicate with the often-agitated motorist who has been pulled over. "Of course, you have to accept there have been incidents of racial profiling. Do I think it's widespread? No." he said. Among the study's findings: Compared with Anglos, Hispanic drivers are most likely to be pulled over and searched in North Texas - 1.9 times the rate of white drivers. For blacks, the highest rate is in South Texas, where they are 2.2 times as likely as whites to be searched. In larger cities that supplied the data, searches of minority drivers, while conducted at a higher rate, were about as likely or much less likely to produce illegal contraband than those of white drivers. A black driver in Houston is 3.5 times more likely to be searched than a white driver - the highest rate among city police departments in the report. For Hispanics, the Dallas Police Department recorded the highest search rate relative to whites - about three-times the rate for whites. Senior Cpl. Chris Gilliam, a Dallas police spokesman, said that after a traffic stop, "there are a myriad of reasons why people might be searched." He said the department's examination of its 2002 traffic citation data showed that officers made 888,000 stops and that among those, 12 civilian complaints alleged racial profiling. "Eight of those were found to be inconclusive or unfounded," he said. The four others were still being investigated at the time of the study. "Our policy is simple and to the point: We don't condone racial profiling and neither does the city of Dallas," Cpl. Gilliam said. The study was prepared for the Texas Criminal Justice Reform Coalition, the ACLU, the League of United Latin American Citizens of Texas and the Texas State Conference of NAACP Branches. "What you could say is that the numbers show there are strong racial disparities that demand strong investigations," said Eva Owens, program director for the justice reform coalition. She said her group seeks better data collection and uniform reporting methods. For instance, the study showed that 140 departments did not report basic data about stops, searches and arrests, which are required under state law. "I think departments have to take it seriously and they need to look at officer-level data to see if there's a problem with a particular officer," Ms. Owens said. 'Greater oversight' Ana Yanez-Correa, policy director for LULAC, said the numbers "just confirm what Latinos already know from their experiences on Texas roads." "Texans must demand greater oversight of law enforcement and immediate investigation as to the cause of these racial disparities," she said. Said Mr. Harrell of the ACLU: "I think the police would be wise to address the cycle of denial and address this problem once and forever." The findings in Tuesday's report reflect similar findings reported by The Dallas Morning News in 2000 and early 2001 in stories that looked at traffic citations issued by the Department of Public Safety. In 2001, the Legislature passed a law requiring most law enforcement agencies to compile data on traffic stops and searches. Data for 2003 are expected next month. STOPPING TO SEARCH The racial stop-and-search records of three major law enforcement agencies: Race % searched of people stopped % who had contraband Austin Police Department Black 7.3 34.1 Hispanic 6.9 16.8 Anglo 3.2 24.2 Dallas County Sheriff's Office Black 1.2 14.9 Hispanic 1.6 12.8 Anglo 0.9 19.9 Houston Police Department Black 6.3 6.2 Hispanic 4.4 3.9 Anglo 1.8 8.4 San Antonio Police Department Black 19.7 8.1 Hispanic 17.3 13.9 Anglo 8.2 16.3 SOURCE: Texas Criminal Justice Reform Coalition - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom