2003 Demographic Analysis of UT Police Contacts
Since January 1, 2002, UTPD, in accordance with the Texas Racial Profiling Law (S.B. No. 1074), has been collecting police contact data for the purpose of identifying and responding (if necessary) to concerns regarding racial profiling practices. These data are summarized in Table1.
| Race/Ethnicity* | Contacts | Searches | Consensual Searches | Probable Cause | Custody Arrest |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Caucasian | 1445 (69.5%) | 36 (69.2%) | 10 (62.5%) | 0 | 26 (74.3%) |
| African | 94 (4.5%) | 2 (3.8%) | 1 (6.25%) | 0 | 1 (2.9%) |
| Hispanic | 183 (8.8%) | 11 (21.2%) | 4 (25%) | 1 (100%) | 6 (17.1%) |
| Asian | 340 (16.3%) | 3 (5.8%) | 1 (6.25%) | 0 | 2 (5.7%) |
| Native American | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Other | 18 (9%) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 2080 (100%) | 52 (100%) | 16 (100%) | 1 (100%) | 35 (100%) |
For comparison, demographics of the students, faculty, and staff of the UT Austin campus for the school year 2002-2003 are presented in Table 2. Typically, university campuses include a fairly transient society of people. Thus, individuals who may have come in contact with UTPD, but do not comprise the total “permanent inhabitants,” have been eliminated. By gathering university affiliation upon contact as a result of traffic stops, UTPD has provided the most accurate analysis of contacts related to the relatively “permanent inhabitants” of the UT Austin campus.
| Race/Ethnicity* | Demographics | Traffic Stops |
|---|---|---|
| Caucasian | 44,525 (61%) | 1,054 (69.3%) |
| African | 2,708 (3.7%) | 70 (4.6%) |
| Hispanic | 9,632 (13.2%) | 109 (7.2%) |
| Asian | 10,629 (14.6%) | 272 (17.9%) |
| Native American | 264 (0.4%) | 0 |
| Unknown/Other | 5,181 (7.1%) | 16 (1%) |
| Total | 72,939 (100%) | 1,521 (100%) |
Summary
Comparing university “permanent inhabitants” (students, staff and faculty) who came in contact with UTPD during 2003 with the entire population of “permanent inhabitants” of the university during that time, the data can be summarized as follows:
- Individuals of Caucasian, African descent, and Hispanic were stopped at a higher rate than would be expected based on demographic figures.
- Asian subjects were stopped at a lesser rate than would be expected based on demographic figures.
- No Native Americans were identified as being stopped for traffic related inquiries during the calendar year of 2003.
* Race/Ethnicity are defined by Senate Bill 1074 as being of a “particular descent, including Caucasian, African, Hispanic, Asian, or Native American.”
