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Hondo police report 7,535 traffic stops in 2024; chief says use-of-force incidents were rare
Summary
Police Chief Justin Souza told the Hondo City Council the department made 7,535 traffic stops in 2024, a 98.81% increase from 2023, and reported four stops involving use of force; the chief said department demographics of stops broadly matched city demographics and that staff will provide more detail if requested.
Police Chief Justin Souza presented the Hondo Police Department's 2024 racial-profiling and traffic-stop report to the city council on Feb. 10, saying the department recorded 7,535 vehicle stops in 2024 and that the figure represents a 98.81% increase from 2023.
"We're required by law annually to report our racial profiling stats," Souza said as he opened his presentation and handed out a demographic breakdown that staff posted to the city website. He told the council the numbers in the packet were corrected that morning after some figures had been put in the wrong place.
Souza said 1,967 stops were on city streets and 5,542 were on Highway 90; after correcting the packet, he said there were 0 stops on county roads. "Out of all of our stops, 4 stops resulted in use of force for a percentage of 0.05%," he said. Souza also told the council that the department's stops "pretty much correlate" with Hondo's demographics and that "there's nothing that stands out that makes it seem excessive."
Council members asked whether the increase was accurate; Souza confirmed the 98.81% year-over-year rise and said he expects stops to increase by "at least 25 to 30%" in 2025. He invited questions and offered to provide deeper breakdowns if the council wanted more detail.
Souza also noted a community connection: Hondo FFA students are building a display related to the police department that will appear at the San Antonio stock show.
Mayor John McInally Junior and council members thanked the chief for the report; the presentation was informational and did not produce any formal council action or ordinance.
The council did not take further action on the report during the meeting; the chief said the full demographic breakdown is available on the city website and in an updated handout provided to council members.
