The Brazos County Sheriff's Office recently reported zero complaints of racial profiling in more than 6,000 enforcement actions in 2023.
Since 2002, state criminal law procedures have required all law enforcement agencies in Texas to collect data on potential racial profiling. The sheriff's office reported receiving no reports or complaints of racial profiling and no use of force in 202 stops that resulted in arrests, according to data released last week.
Brazos County Sheriff Wayne Dickey said his office's policy strictly prohibits racial profiling by peace officers and that the department has a mandate to file complaints with the county if residents are the subject of racial profiling. He said there are procedures that can be done.
“This helps ensure that police officers are enforcing the law in a fair and impartial manner,” he said. “Our job is to enforce the law fairly, and there is no bias.” This process helps ensure that. ”
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In 2023, the sheriff's office had a total of 6,525 enforcement actions. According to the data, 17% of these enforcement actions took place against Black people, 55% against White people and 26% against Hispanic/Latino people. Alaska Natives, American Indians, Asians, and Pacific Islanders accounted for less than 3% of the total number of stops.
According to U.S. Census Bureau data, 11% of Brazos County residents are Black, 55% are White, and 27% are Hispanic/Latino. Alaska Natives, American Indians, Asians, and Pacific Islanders make up approximately 7% of the local population.
Only 604 (9.3%) of over 6,000 stops resulted in a search, with probable cause being the primary cause of search.
According to the data, black people accounted for 28% of searches, followed by white people at 40% and Hispanic/Latinx at 31%.
According to the data, 202 arrests, or 3% of all stops, resulted in arrests, of which 30% were black, 38% were white, and 32% were Hispanic/Latino.
Brazos County Sheriff's officers reported that in 2023, less than 3% knew an individual's race prior to the stop. Dickey said this is by design because officers should not consider race as a reason to stop someone. He also said police officers are required to undergo at least eight hours of racial discrimination training every two years.
“Importantly, police officers are trained to make such decisions based on probable cause and are prohibited from using race or bias of any kind to determine police actions. I think that means there is,” he said.
Complete data is available on the agenda page of the Brazos County Commissioners Court website.