Traffic stops by the Jersey Village Police Department in 2022 were disproportionate to the city’s population, which includes 62.5% white residents and 12.7% Black residents. Out of the nearly 7,500 traffic stops conducted last year, about 36% of them were for white drivers, and 36% were for Black drivers.
In compliance with state law, the city of Jersey Village released its 2022 racial profiling report as part of the Feb. 27 City Council meeting packet. Traffic stops for Hispanic/Latino, Asian/Pacific Islander and Alaska Native/American Indian were more consistent with city population statistics, according to the report.The report clarified more than 13% of traffic stops were conducted along Hwy. 290, a major corridor connecting commuters and residents throughout a larger region of Harris County. Harris County’s population is more diverse with 43.7% Hispanic/Latino residents, 28.7% white, 20% Black, 7.3% Asian/Pacific Islander and 1.1% Alaska Native/American Indian.
The report by Police Chief Kirk Riggs concluded officers and supervisors are following appropriate protocol, and patrol supervisors found no unlawful activities in their random audits. Additionally, no racial profiling complaints were made against the JVPD.
The definition of racial profiling posted on the JVPD website is: “A law enforcement-initiated action based solely on an individual's race, ethnicity or national origin rather than on the individual's behavior or on information identifying the individual as having engaged in criminal activity.”
According to the report, Jersey Village officers were aware of the driver’s race or ethnicity prior to making a traffic stop less than 1% of the time in 2022. See additional details from the report below.
- Jersey Village police officers conducted 7,433 total traffic stops in 2022.
- No racial profiling complaints were made against the Jersey Village Police Department.
- Traffic stop results: 57.2% received citations, 42.8% received warnings, and 3.5% were arrested.
- In a city where 62.5% of the population is white, 36.2% of traffic stops were for white drivers.
- Nearly 84% of traffic stops were conducted on city streets, and 13.1% were on Hwy. 290.
- Officers knew of the driver's race/ethnicity prior to stops 0.83% of the time.
- About 66.3% of drivers stopped were male, compared to the city’s 49% male population.
- Searches were conducted in about 8.9% of traffic stops, and contraband was discovered in approximately half of those searches.
- The department saw four cases of physical force resulting in bodily injury—in about 0.05% of traffic stops.
