At the March Student Government Association meeting, SUPD Police Chief Patrick Taylor gave the student senate updates about issues discussed at previous President’s Hours.

Racial Disparities

Taylor began with concerns over racial discrimination that were raised at President’s Hour in the fall. “Concerns were raised that our department was stopping students of color for traffic violations more than white students.”

After that event, the department began investigating the issue and their practices. Prior to the concern being raised, the department did not track driver demographics for all traffic stops, only those which resulted in a state citation being issued. 

With that limited data set, the department looked at their traffic stops. Between Aug. 1 and Nov. 11, 2024 SUPD made 326 traffic stops, 40 of which resulted in citations. Twenty-five of those were identified as male, and 15 as female. Twenty-six were listed as white, 11 as Black or African American, two as Asian, and one did not have a race listed. 

On Dec. 1, SUPD began tracking demographic information for all stops. From Dec. 2024 through the end of February 2025, they made a total of 223 traffic stops. Taylor broke that total down by race and gender: 78 white males, 69 white females, 25 Black males, 11 Black females, two Asian males, 12 Hispanic males, nine Hispanic females, two Middle Eastern males, one Middle Eastern female, and 14 who were not identified. 

After the information is compiled every month, it will be sent to Jolinda Wilson, SU vice president of administration and finance, and Manny Ruiz, the assistant vice president for inclusion, belonging, and social equity. “Now that this information is tracked, we want to be cooperative and transparent with everything we do,” Taylor said. There are plans to make the plans available publicly. 

Traffic Calming

At President’s Hour last Spring, students raised concerns about speeding cars making getting around campus dangerous. In addition to increasing traffic enforcement, SUPD began discussions with Facilities Management and Planning to explore options for “traffic calming devices,” commonly known as speed bumps. 

“After the semester let out last spring, we worked on installing our first traffic calming device over in the area of Dauphin Drive on the way to Heiges Field House,” Taylor said. After observing the effect on traffic over the summer and fall semester, SUPD and Facilities determined that it had a positive impact on reducing speeding in the area. 

Based on that success, there are plans in motion to add two additional speed bumps at the end of the spring 2025 semester. One is planned for Lancaster Drive between the CUB and Luhrs Performing Arts Center, while the other is destined for Adams Drive near Grace B. Luhrs Elementary School. 

“As we see how those work, the next summer, we’ll continue adding more,” Taylor said. 

Share