Racial Profiling and the Political Demand for Data A Pilot Study Designed to Improve Methodologies in Texas

We are currently witnessing a large-scale, national movement toward the mandated collection of traffic stop data by police. The intended goal of mandated data collection is the identification and elimination of racial profiling by police. However, problems related to this trend are beginning to emerge, especially in states that have initiated required data collection in the absence of rigorous and standardized methodologies. The present study describes the results of a pilot project that was designed to develop and implement improved strategies for the collection and analysis of racial profiling data in Texas and elsewhere. The article includes an overview of the national trend toward racial profiling data collection as well as a discussion of the primary problems related to the study of racial profiling during traffic stops.