Socorro police report shows 6,303 traffic stops in 2025; department reports zero racial-profiling complaints

Socorro Police Chief Robert Rojas presented the department's 2025 motor-vehicle-stop statistics to the City Council as required by state law, saying the department recorded 6,303 traffic stops during the year and reported no racial-profiling complaints.

Rojas described the data fields compiled for the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement, including officers'perceived race and ethnicity, whether a search occurred and whether contraband was found. He said most stops were on city streets, and officers recorded demographic observations during the stops. According to Rojas, officers recorded 88% of stopped drivers as Hispanic or Latino and the vast majority of stops resulted in no search (96%); approximately 4% of stops included a search and more than 45% of searches were consensual.

Rojas emphasized the department's transparency measures. He said officers issue written warnings when possible, that body-worn camera footage and CAD call records are used to verify incidents, that supervisors conduct monthly body-camera audits, and that the department's e-ticket system and QR-code warnings allow people to receive documentation of stops and an invitation to submit feedback.

Councilmembers asked whether the department can track whether stopped drivers are city residents; Rojas said the department collects ZIP-code and address data and can filter the records to distinguish residents from nonresidents. He also said the department is continuing to encourage written warnings rather than verbal ones to provide documentation in case of later complaints.