The tier 2 data findings also suggested that an arrest was not made, for the most part, as a
result of the stops. Further, of those arrested, violation of the penal code, was the most cited
reason for the arrest. Most of the locations of the stops were on city streets; this was followed by
private property.
As mentioned earlier, the Arlington Police Department opted to disclose (and include in
this report), all contacts made with individuals in the course of a motor vehicle contact. That is,
contacts that qualified (and those that did not) under the racial profiling law are being reported
by the Arlington Police Department in an effort to show transparency and disclosure. It should
be further noted that the data for all contacts is similar, in nature and context, to the tier 2 data
submitted to TCOLE.
Fair Roads Standard Analysis
The data analysis of motor vehicle contacts to the census data relevant to the number of
“households” in the DFW who indicated, in the 2010 census, that they had access to vehicles,
produced interesting findings. Specifically, the percentage of individuals of African American
and Hispanic descent that came in contact with the police was higher than the percentage of
African American and Hispanic households in DFW that claimed, in the 2010 census, to have
access to vehicles. With respect to Caucasians and Asians, a lower percentage of contacts were
detected. That is, the percentage of Caucasian and Asian drivers that came in contact with the
police in 2015 was lower than the percentage of Caucasian and Asian households in DFW with
access to vehicles.
Summary of Findings
The comparison of motor vehicle contacts showed that the Arlington Police Department
came in contact (in motor vehicle-related incidents) with a smaller percentage of Caucasian and
Asian drivers than the percentage that resided in DFW and had access to vehicles. Further, the
data suggested that the percentage of African American and Hispanic drivers that came in
contact with the police in 2015 was higher than the percentage of African American and
Hispanic households in DFW with access to vehicles. In addition, the data showed that in a large
number of instances, officers did not know the race or ethnicity of individuals before detaining
them, when compared to instances where officers knew the race/ethnicity of individuals before
they were detained.
While considering the findings made in this analysis, it is recommended that the
Arlington Police Department should continue to collect and evaluate additional information on
motor vehicle contact data (i.e., reason for probable cause searches, contraband detected) which
may prove to be useful when determining the nature of the contacts police officers are making
with all individuals; particularly with African Americans and Hispanics. Although this
additional data may not be required by state law, it is likely to provide insights regarding the
nature and outcome of all motor vehicle contacts made with the public.