Audio By Carbonatix
The news, at least as tweeted by the Dallas Police Department, is good. Of the more than 113,000 traffic stops performed by the department in 2014, only five resulted in racial profiling complaints being filed with DPD’s Internal Affairs Division.
The raw data paints a murkier picture.
Of those 113,000 contacts, as DPD, calls them, 26.7 percent were made with whites, 36 percent with blacks and 34.8 percent with Hispanics. According to the American Community Survey’s latest five-year estimates, Dallas is 29.3 percent white, 25.5 percent African American and 41.9 percent Hispanic.
The report also includes data showing the number of searches and arrests that result from traffic contacts. Twenty-two percent of people searched during traffic stops were white, 43.3 percent were black and 33.6 percent were Hispanic. Of those arrested as the result of a traffic stops, 21.3 percent were white, 43.5 percent were black and 34 percent were Hispanic.
When news happens, Dallas Observer is there —
Your support strengthens our coverage.
We’re aiming to raise $30,000 by December 31, so we can continue covering what matters most to you. If the Dallas Observer matters to you, please take action and contribute today, so when news happens, our reporters can be there.
