Traffic stops have increased; high clearance rates on crimes noted
HUTTO – The town received no complaints of racism filed against any officer in 2024, even though traffic stops increased, according to an annual report reviewed by City Council.
Police Chief Jeffrey Yarbrough presented the results of the department’s state-mandated racial profiling report at a Feb. 20 council session, assuring the city his department is complying with state law.
He also discussed other trends with the department as part of his report, including a high clearance rate on cases.
When it comes to pulling over motorists, officers are looking for traffic violations, not skin color, the chief said.
“We don’t focus on the individual. We focus on the offense. And if that offense occurs in front of an officer, that offense is reported,” Yarbrough said.
The number of traffic stops increased from 5,917 in 2023 to 10,117 in 2024, the most-recent period covered by the report.
About 40 percent of those stopped received written citations, but the majority drove off with just a warning, the chief said.
He believes seeing patrol cars on the streets and being given a friendly warning keeps traffic safety at the forefront of drivers’ minds.
“Some people may think Hutto is a speed trap. We’re really not. It’s not about the money. Our goal is to educate, and we hope people can comply moving forward,” Yarbrough said.
Anglo drivers were pulled over the most, with 4,368 stops and 34.5% receiving written citations. Hispanic drivers were stopped 3,572 times with 48.3% issued citations.
Black drivers were stopped 1,675 times with 35.1% receiving citations. Drivers of other ethnicities were stopped 502 times with 32.4% getting cited, according to the figures.
“It’s the circumstances that determine who gets a citation, who gets arrested,” Yarbrough said. “It’s not a racebased situation and the numbers can change by different variables.”
Women were once again lauded as the best drivers in Hutto, with 3,440 women receiving citations versus 6,677 men.
A total of 322 vehicle searches were conducted and 95 arrests were made.
One arrest required force that resulted in a bodily injury report.
“Does that mean we picked them up and slammed them? No. Bodily injury is defined by anyone feeling pain, including pain from your handcuffs. We had one incident where our officers reported, and had to report, that there was physical force used,” Yarbrough said.
He noted the majority of officers are patrolling neighborhoods and around businesses. Almost 70% of the traffic stops were made on city-owned streets.
That aligns with the chief’s community-based policing model, a philosophy that drives how he has led the department since he was hired in 2022.
His report to the council included an overview of Hutto PD’s recent accomplishments.
With 51 officers, a staff of 13 supporting team members and very few vacancies, the department was able to complete goals set in 2024 to establish a fulltime traffic enforcement unit, improve investigative- case closure rates and re-establish specialized units, he said.
The department also became part of a new Regional Burglary of Motor Vehicle Task Force.
“We currently have an 84% clearance rate on crimes against persons and that’s because we have the staffing to dedicate that time when we’re not triaging cases,” Yarbrough said. “We’re seeing the upward trend of positivity when it comes to our investigations.”
