Sheriff states no issue with racial profiling in 2022 report

Sheriff Sal Rivera met with the Castro County Commissioners Court on Jan. 9, to present the Castro County Sheriff’s Office Racial Profiling Report for 2022.

Rivera stated that his office and deputies did not practice racial profiling and was confident that the report confi rmed that. Policies at the Castro County Sheriff’s Offi ce (CCSO) include enforcing state and federal laws in a responsible and professional manner, without regard to race, ethnicity or national origin and are applicable to all people, including drivers, passengers, or pedestrians.

According to Rivera, a law enforcement agency must present a report to the governing body by March 1, 2023. The Racial Profiling law was enacted in 2001 by the Texas Legislature under Senate Bill 1074. Through the years the law has been revised and was done so in 2017 due to the Sandra Bland Act.

The law requires law enforcement agencies to record all traffic stops conducted by their officers along with policies and statement indicating that the Castro County Sheriff ’s Office (CCSO) prohibits any officer from engaging in racial profiling, and also that the law enforcement agency has a policy in place against racial profiling.

The data gathered by the law enforcement agencies include: gender; race or ethnicity of individual stopped; race or ethnicity known prior to stop; reason for stop; location of stop; whether a search was conducted; if there was a search, whether if was a consent search or probable cause search; was contraband discovered; result of the stop; if an arrest was made, what was it based on; if there was any physical force used that resulted in bodily injury during the stop; and if there was any complaints of racial profiling, and the outcome of the compliant.

The Racial Profiling Data was also entered into the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement along with a Comprehensive Analysis Report to comply with the law.

Rivera said that the Sheriff ’s Office will accept complaints from any person who believes that racial profiling occurred during a traffic stop (complaint must be in writing, witnessed by person taking complained and signed by complainant with date and time and appropriate information and description of event). An investigation will follow up any complaint.

Racial profiling information is tracked via traffic and pedestrian citations which must include the violators race or ethnicity, consensual or non-consensual searches, if contraband was recovered and warnings, arrests, and violations.

Rivera reported that his office conducted 1,484 traffi c stops in the county for the year 2022.

The CCSO 2022 report shows: -Census 2020 shows the following percentage of the population in Castro County: White, 3,676, 49.9%; Black, 108, 1.5%; American Indian, 58, 0.8%; Asian, 22, 0.3%, Pacific Islander, 4, 0.1%, and Hispanic/Latino, 4,784, 64.9%.

- Total stops: 1,484; 285 on city streets; 651 on US highway; 34 on county roads; 514 on state highways.

-Race or ethnicity known prior to stop: 1,480, no; 4, yes.

-Race/ethnicity: Alaska Native/American Indian, three; Asian/Pacific Islander, two; Black, 56; White, 455; Hispanic/Latino, 968.

-Gender: 460 Females, 460 - Alaska Native/American Indian, one; Black, 12; White, 156; Hispanic/Latino, 291. Males, 1,024 - Alaska Native/American Indian, two; Asian/Pacific Islander, two; Black, 44; White, 299; Hispanic/Latino, 677.

- Reason for stop: Violation of law – 32; Preexisting knowledge – 16; Moving traffic violation – 1,114; Vehicle traffic violation – 332.

-Was search conducted: Yes, 153; No, 1,331.

-Reason for search: Consent, 54; Contraband, one; Probable, 86; Inventory, 12; Incident to arrest, zero.

-Was Contraband discovered: Yes, 80; No, 73.

-Description of contraband: Drugs, 53; Weapons, two; Currency, zero; Alcohol, 16; Stolen property, one; Other, eight.

-Result of stop: Verbal warning, two; Written warning, 864; Citation, two; Written warning and arrest, zero; Citation and arrest, zero; Arrest, 62; Arrest based on violation of penal code, 52; Violation of traffic law, five; violation of city ordinance, zero; Outstanding warrant, five.

-Was physical force resulting in bodily injury used during stop – Zero - Number of complaints of racial profiling – one. Did not result in disciplinary action.