Selective and non-selective traffic enforcement in an urban police setting : a tool to analyze whether a police department is engaged in institutional racial profiling

Racial profiling is often regarded as one of the most important issues facing contemporary law enforcement practices. This study examined contact data, concerning racial data, obtained through selective and non-selective traffic enforcement in an urban setting in North Texas. The underlying principle is that during selective traffic enforcement operations, police officers may exercise less discretion than in non-selective settings. Data analyzed were for a one-year period from January through December, 2003, using a cross-sectional comparative study. Officers of a large, urban police department situated in the Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan area collected the data in compliance with a Texas law prohibiting racial profiling, which was passed in 2001 and took affect in 2002. Traffic citations issued as a result of traffic stops from selective and non-selective traffic enforcement operations were compared by race and ethnicity of the drivers stopped. Selective traffic enforcement is a police operation conducted specifically to apprehend, by use of radar equipment, and issue citations to drivers who exceed posted speed limits. Because tickets are issued for deterrent effect, little or no discretion is used by officers. Non-selective traffic enforcement, represented by police officers on routine patrol, allows officers the use of much more discretion in deciding who will be stopped and whether citations will be issued. The study revealed there was a difference, by race, in the percentages of persons who were issued traffic violation citations during selective traffic enforcement compared to non-selective traffic enforcement. More Caucasians were stopped in selective operations (less discretion) and more Hispanics and people of African descent were stopped in situations that allowed officers more discretion. Whether officers of the department are engaged in racial profiling can be determined only after examining reasons for the disparities. This study is offered as an additional option for urban police managers to use as an internal evaluation tool for analyzing whether their agencies may be involved in institutional racial profiling.