New Study Will Determine Extent of Police Racial Profiling in Texas

Texas A&M University is launching the state’s first independent analysis of racial profiling by Texas law enforcement. The study will encompass data from 2,000 police agencies across Texas.

“When the Sandra Bland Act passed in 2017, it included provisions that required law enforcement agencies to collect and review  information on vehicle stops to determine if there are racial disparities between drivers who are stopped and the racial and ethnic makeup of the county,” stated Sandra Bland Act Author State Rep. Garnet Coleman in announcing the effort Wednesday.  

The research will be led by Dr. Alex del Carmen, a leading national expert on racial profiling in policing with experience in police reform cases.

The data includes whether the officer issued a verbal or written warning or a citation as a result of the stop and whether the officer used physical force that resulted in bodily injury. The new data is in addition to information already being collected about the driver’s race, whether a search was conducted, and if the officer knew the driver’s race before pulling them over.

“When properly collected and analyzed, this data should provide a much-needed basis for developing sound public policy that address racial profiling in Texas,” stated Coleman.