Arlington Police Department 2018 Traffic Stop Contraband Hit & Enforcement Rate Analysis
This report analyzes the contraband hit rate ( contraband found ) and enforcement outcomes ( arrest or citation issued ) following traffic stop searches conducted by the Arlington Police Department ( APD ), from 1 / 1 / 2018 through 12 / 31 / 2018 . The results discussed below are tabulated from clearance dispositions that officers selected after each traffic stop . The results indicate hit rates differed slightly across racial / ethnic groups , but that enforcement outcomes were uniform and consistent across racial / ethnic groups , demonstrating equal application of lawful police authority .
Officer ’ s use of discretion ( the lawful choice to enforce or not to enforce ) impacts an agency ’ s enforcement rate . The more officers choose not to enforce when finding contraband or other unlawful acts , the lower an agency ’ s enforcement rate becomes . Disparate enforcement rates would indicate inequality of lawful police authority . No such concerns were found when analyzing APD ’ s 2018 traffic stop hit or enforcement rates .
For summary descriptions of the below bulleted items , please refer to the below Tables and Figure . A more detailed explanation of the bulleted items follows that .
• APD ’ s overall hit rate was 42 %; meaning officers found contraband a little less than half of the time when conducting traffic stop searches .
• The hit rate for a probable cause search was 63.5 % and for a consent search was 19.1 %.
• APD ’ s overall traffic stop search enforcement rate was 96.1 %; meaning an arrest or citation occurred for the vast majority of contraband discoveries .
• The enforcement rate for African Americans was 95.8 %, Hispanics was 96.4 %, and Caucasians was 96.1 %.
• African American , Hispanic , and Caucasian drivers collectively accounted for 98.3 % of all contraband hits .
• African Americans accounted for 53.3 % ( 1032 ), Hispanics accounted for 22.9 % ( 443 ) and Caucasians accounted for 22.2 % ( 430 ) of all contraband hits .
1 / 29 / 2018 Page 1 Patina Clements , CAU Supervisor