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Stafford Police present 2024 racial profiling report to council; moving violations remain top stop reason, searches rare
Summary
The Stafford Police Department presented its 2024 racial profiling report to the City Council, reporting moving violations as the leading reason for stops and 67 searches conducted during the year with contraband found in 43 of those searches.
The Stafford Police Department presented its 2024 racial profiling report to the City Council, summarizing traffic‑stop data, search outcomes and demographic breakdowns required by TCOLE reporting rules.
Chief Ramirez told council the department reports to the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement (TCOLE). The department characterized itself as eligible for a Tier 1 partial exemption because it maintains both in‑car and body‑worn camera recordings. Ramirez gave the following summary of items the department submitted for 2024: race/ethnicity counts as reported to the U.S. Census categories; moving violations were the leading reason for stops (2,457 stops reported for moving violations); officers recorded 67 searches in total and contraband was discovered in 43 of those searches (36 drug incidents, 3 weapons, 3 alcohol/other and 1 stolen property listed in the report); and city streets were the most common stop location (3,197 stops on city streets).
The chief also provided other operational totals: the report records that officers did not use physical force resulting in bodily injury in 3,600 instances and that one stop noted both officer and violator injuries. The department provided a sworn‑personnel racial/ethnic and gender breakdown for the year and explained percentages of staff composition.
Council members asked about a sizable drop in moving‑violation stops compared with prior years; Chief Ramirez connected that change to staffing and the loss of a dedicated traffic enforcement unit, saying fewer personnel available for traffic enforcement contributed to the decline. Ramirez and councilors also discussed recruiting challenges: the chief said the department has actively recruited from the Indian community and other populations but that trained recruits sometimes depart after one to two years for higher pay or different benefits at school districts or larger agencies.
Outcome: presentation accepted for informational purposes; no vote required. Council asked the chief to follow up as needed with additional context or further breakdowns (for example: resident vs. nonresident stops) if requested in future reports.
