Jacksonville police report finds no evidence of racial bias in 2024 traffic stops

Acting Police Chief Steven Markaskill presented the Jacksonville Police Department's 2024 racial profiling analysis at the Feb. 11 City Council meeting, saying the department conducted 8,412 traffic stops last year.

Markaskill said the department compared stop data to Texas Department of Public Safety driver-license-area demographics and reported that White drivers accounted for 51.5% of stops, Black drivers 18.7%, Hispanic drivers 28.5% and other racial groups 1.3%. He reported searches were conducted in 4.1% of stops: White drivers 1.6%, Black drivers 1.3%, Hispanic drivers 1.0% and other groups 0.06%.

The report includes a disclaimer that DPS license-area demographics do not exactly match Jacksonville's population and that some people stopped lack a valid Texas driver's license, so comparisons are an imperfect reference. Markaskill said the department is accredited by the Texas Police Chiefs Association and that officers receive ongoing fair-and-impartial-policing training.

"We have received 0 complaints in 2024 regarding racial profiling and traffic stops," Markaskill said. "Based on this analysis, there's no evidence of racial bias regarding our traffic stops." He invited council questions after the presentation.

The council did not take action on the report; the presentation was given for transparency and statutory compliance under the cited Texas reporting requirement referenced in the presentation.

The department's full dataset and methodology were presented to the council during the meeting and may be available through city staff on request.