Article 2.134 of the Texas Code of Criminal Procedure requires the reporting of certain data collected on motor vehicle stops to the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement ("TCOLE") and to the governing body of each county or municipal law enforcement agency. The state law requires all police agencies to report traffic-related contact data by March 1 of each year.
The Town's Department of Public Safety has complied with this requirement since its inception in 2001. In response to the national dialogue involving law enforcement transparency of operations, the Town engaged an independent consultant, Dr. Alex Del Carmen, to review the data collection process and compile the resulting report. Dr. Del Carmen is a nationally recognized scholar who specializes in racial sensitivity training and bias-based profiling concerning law enforcement. Dr. Del Carmen has performed an independent third-party evaluation of the Department's data, practices, and procedures concerning bias-based contacts for 2014 through 2023. Dr. Del Carmen also performs quarterly audits on citations issued.
Dr. Del Carmen was also engaged to review the Town's Municipal Court operations and recommends best practices to ensure that all defendants are treated equally when they go through the process of disposing of their citations. Moreover, Dr. Del Carmen periodically monitors quantitative and qualitative data specific to the disposition of citations through the Town's Municipal Court to validate the fair and equal process provided to all defendants.
The Town initiated an annual assessment of its court operations following Department of Justice findings from reviewing the City of Ferguson, Missouri municipal court operations. Town staff are not aware of any other Texas municipal court, and possibly the United States that subjects itself to such this level of evaluation.
Following an extensive review of various data, Dr. Del Carmen found no items of concern regarding the HPDPS’s compliance with state law and no items of significant concern regarding the operation and oversight of the Municipal Court.
Dr. Del Carmen will present a detailed review of his findings and be available for questions and discussion with the Town Council.