Decatur police present annual racial-profiling report, report zero formal complaints

The police chief presented Decatur's annual racial-profiling report to the City Council, saying the department's records show 9,552 traffic stops during the reporting year and that most stops occurred on U.S. highways. "This report has to be presented to you guys by March 1 each and every single year," the chief told the council.

The presentation broke down outcomes and searches: 3,261 warnings, 6,071 citations, 135 arrests off traffic stops, and 266 searches. The chief said 32% of searches yielded contraband and listed seizure categories including drugs (114 instances), weapons (14), alcohol (44), stolen property (6) and one instance of seized currency. He also reported 10 traffic-stop incidents involving physical force and said the department compares those incidents with separate use-of-force reports as part of accreditation and internal review.

On race reporting, the chief said the majority of stops involved people identified as white or Caucasian, and that in 181 incidents the subject's race was known prior to the stop (for example, following dispatch information). He told council the department looks for correlation among population, stop locations and enforcement types to identify statistical anomalies that would warrant further review.

Mayor Mike McQuiston thanked the chief for the report. The chief invited questions and noted the department recorded zero formal complaints alleging racial profiling during the reporting period.

The council did not take formal action on the report; it was presented for statutory compliance and staff oversight.