Sweetwater police say racial-profiling data collection shows no issues in annual report

The Sweetwater Police Department met state requirements for traffic stop data collection and reported no documented racial-profiling issues in its latest annual profile, Police Chief Brian Sheridan told the Sweetwater City Council.

The nut of the matter: Texas' racial-profiling reporting law requires departments to collect and report motor-vehicle stop data to identify potential problems. Sheridan said the department complied with the law and included the results in a 75-page report provided to the council.

Sheridan, identified in the meeting as Police Chief Brian Sheridan, told the council the profiling law was enacted in 2001 and said, "During the last calendar year, the Sweetwater Police Department, in accordance with this law, has collected and reported traffic and motor vehicle related contact data for the purpose of identifying and addressing, if necessary, areas of concern regarding racial profiling practices. I'm pleased to report that all these requirements have been met by the Sweetwater Police Department and are included in the 75 page report that y'all have received. I'm not gonna go through the whole report. I'm also pleased to re report that no issues of, anything to worry about were documented, and we're basically doing all that."

Sheridan invited questions; none were recorded in the transcript. The department provided the full report to the council; the chief said he would not review it in full during the meeting.

Ending: The report will remain part of the city record and is available to council and the public per state reporting procedures; the chief encouraged members to review the full document.