More than 800 traffic stops reported for Everett in 2020

  According to a recent report from the state Office of Public Safety and Security, police made a total of 818 traffic stops in Everett in 2020, surpassing the totals reported for Malden, Revere and Saugus.

  Within that figure, 31 percent of those stopped were Everett residents and were, on average, 37 years old. In addition, 72 percent of those drivers were male while 24 percent were female. The ethnic breakdown showed that 42 percent of the traffic stops were for white drivers, followed by 29 percent for Hispanic drivers and 19 percent for Asian-American/Black drivers.

  In terms of outcomes, 54 percent of white drivers received warnings, 42 percent were issued tickets and two percent were arrested. Half of the Asian-American/Black drivers who were pulled over received warnings. Tickets were issued to 43 percent of those drivers followed by five percent who were taken into custody. Forty-nine percent of Hispanic drivers were given warnings while 43 percent received tickets and seven percent were arrested.

  “Traffic safety has been and will continue to be a big part of what we do,” said Police Chief Steven Mazzie. “Over the years we have moved to more data-based enforcement, by basically going to the areas that are problematic with crashes and based on community complaints. Our efforts have always been focused on educating the public and to change bad driving behavior. To do so doesn’t necessarily mean that people need to always get a citation and that’s confirmed through the data in the recent study. Written warnings are a valuable tool to accomplish that goal.”

  Mazzie also said Everett is a “push-pull city.” “Large numbers of vehicles travel through in the morning to Boston and evening commutes out to the suburbs,” he said. “We do our best to maintain a good quality of life for people that live here and traffic enforcement is necessary to accomplish that.”

  In Revere, 779 traffic stops were reported in 2020. Within that figure, 32 percent of those drivers lived in Revere and were, on average, 38 years old. The gender demographic was similar to that in Everett with 72 percent of drivers being male and 26 percent being female. The ethnic breakdown showed that 62 percent of the traffic stops were for white drivers, followed by 24 percent for Hispanic drivers and nine percent for Asian-American/Black drivers.

  In terms of outcomes, 53 percent of white drivers received warnings, 42 percent were issued tickets and three percent were arrested. Forty-two percent of the Asian-American/Black drivers who were pulled over in 2020 received warnings. Tickets were issued to 53 percent of those drivers and two percent were taken into custody. Forty-nine percent of Hispanic drivers were given warnings, 45 percent received tickets and five percent were taken into custody.

  In Malden, the number was substantially less with 349 stops in 2020. Within that figure, 32 percent of drivers were Malden residents and were, on average, 36 years old. In addition, 74 percent were male and 20 percent were female. The ethnic breakdown showed that 57 percent of the traffic stops were for white drivers, 26 percent were for Asian-American/Black drivers and seven percent were for Hispanic drivers.

  The outcome data showed that 37 percent of white drivers received warnings while 58 percent were issued tickets and four percent were arrested. Twenty-seven percent of the Asian-American/Black drivers who were pulled over in 2020 received warnings. Tickets were issued to 65 percent of those drivers and seven percent were taken into custody. Thirteen percent of Hispanic drivers were given warnings while 77 percent received tickets and nine percent were arrested.

  Out of the four communities, Saugus had the fewest number of traffic stops in 2020 with 250 drivers getting pulled over. Within that figure, 17 percent of those motorists were Saugus residents and were, on average, 34 years old. In addition, 75 percent were male and 22 percent were female. The ethnic breakdown showed that 84 percent of the traffic stops were for white drivers followed by eight percent for Asian-American/Black drivers and seven percent for Hispanic drivers.

  As for the outcomes, 23 percent of white drivers received warnings while 65 percent were issued tickets and no arrests were made. Nineteen percent of the Asian-American/Black drivers who were pulled over in 2020 received warnings. Tickets were issued to 80 percent of those drivers and no arrests were made. Five percent of Hispanic drivers were given warnings while 75 percent received tickets and 17 percent were arrested.

  On the state level, 425,702 traffic stops were made in 2020. Sixty percent of those stops were made by local police and the remaining 40 percent were made by State Police.

  “The hands-free driving law established a research requirement that provides evidence-based insight into factors surrounding traffic stops and to identify any potential patterns of racial disparities,” said Public Safety and Security Secretary Terrence Reidy. “The annual study will contribute to our ability to better understand police interactions with the public and to ensure that the Commonwealth’s traffic laws are enforced in an impartial, equitable, and just way.”

  Using the “Veil of Darkness” analysis, researchers found that nonwhite motorists are 36 percent less likely to be stopped during the day when racial profiling could occur. “This baseline research should serve as a starting point for deeper understanding, continued discussions, and further reflection,” said Dr. Gina Curcio, a researcher at Salem State University. “We caution that our findings do not confirm racial profiling and any incidents of statistical significance could have a variety of explanations other than officer bias.”