AUSTIN, Texas (AP) – A racial profiling report released by Austin police shows that black and Hispanic drivers pulled over in traffic stops were more than twice as likely to be searched than their white counterparts.
The report, reflecting data for 2018, shows officers searched 6 percent of white drivers but 17 percent of black motorists and 14 percent of Hispanic ones.
The report says black and Hispanic drivers were only slightly more likely to have contraband than white motorists.
The Austin American-Statesman reports that the figures are similar to those recorded in previous years.
Police Chief Brian Manley told the newspaper the more important figure is the department’s “hit rate,” or how often officers find contraband when they conduct searches.
These numbers, regardless of race and ethnicity, hover at about 30 percent for whites, blacks and Hispanics.
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