Hockley County Sheriff Ray Scifres presented his departments 2023 racial profiling analysis report to the Hockley County Commissioners Monday morning.
The department reported a total of 1,236 traffic stops. There were 315 stops within city streets, 456 stops on U.S. highways, 394 stops on county roads, 64 stops on state highways and seven stops on private property or other. In regard to stops on city streets, Scifres explained those areas include all cities within the county, not solely Levelland.
In the report, 100% percent of the stops were categorized as deputies not knowing race prior to the stop. There were 644 stops listed as Hispanic or Latino, 517 stops listed as White, 67 stops listed as Black, seven stops listed as Asian or Pacific Islander and one stop listed as Alaska, Native American or Indian.
There were 782 stops listed as male with 407 being Hispanic, 326 being White, 43 being Black, five being Asian or Pacific Islander and one being Alaska, Native American or Indian. There were 454 stops listed as female with 237 being Hispanic, 191 being White, 24 being Black and two being Asian or Pacific Islander.
Categorized as violation of law, there were 54 instances listed. Of those 54 instances, 31 were Hispanic or Latino, 18 were White and five were Black. Of those instances, there were 10 stops with pre-existing knowledge.
Categorized as moving traffic violation, there 696 stops listed. Of those instances, 343 stops were Hispanic or Latino, 313 stops were White, 33 stops were Black, six were Asian or Pacific Islander and one stop was Alaska, Native American or Indian.
Categorized as vehicle traffic violation, there were 476 stops listed. Of those instances, 263 were listed as Hispanic or Latino, 183 were listed as White, 29 were listed as Black and one was listed as Asian or Pacific Islander.
There were 1,158 stops where a search was not conducted, while there 78 stops where a search was conducted. Reason for search included consent with 38 instances, contraband in plain view with five stops and probable cause with 35 stops.
There were 45 instances where contraband was discovered. Of those instances, 15 were drugs being discovered, three were weapons being discovered, 14 was alcohol being discovered and 17 being listed as other.
As a result of the stop, 542 were verbal warnings, 560 were written warnings, 116 were citations, nine were written warning and arrest, four were citation and arrest and five were arrest.
Arrests due to the violation of the penal code totaled eight. There was one arrest due to the violation of a traffic law. There were nine arrests due to outstanding warrants.
Out of all 1,236 instances, it was reported that no physical force was used.
“Looking at the percentages and the breakdown, nothing really stood out,” said Scifres. “Looking at the numbers I can tell that there was no single area targeted. If you look at the demographics down the line they are pretty consistent with the overall population makeup of our county.”
While Scifres explained that during his time as sheriff, he has had no issues with deputies focusing on a particular demographic, however, he is also confident that if something of that nature occurs he can address the issue quickly.
“If there are spikes of a certain demographic and the officer was aware of the individuals ethnicity beforehand, that is when we really need to pay attention,” said Scifres. “It is noticeable to see those spikes or anomalies because we check the reports monthly to make sure they are accurate. In turn, I can go into our system and see who is stopping who. I can see those statistics and trends if they need to be addressed.”
Scifres added that when he presented his information to the commissioners court they all agreed with the information and found that nothing stood out of concern.
Looking back since 2022, the department has had a healthy spread of percentages under Scifres. While the total number of traffic stops have increased every year, Scifres explained that the number can fluctuate which is not a cause for concern.
“I am happy with the numbers overall. It shows that our folks are out there doing their jobs,” said Scifres. “I think a lot of it is we don’t force traffic. We tell them to deal with what is in front of them and we tell them to do what is safe.”