Police Chief releases Racial Profiling Report

By Kyle Mooty

LPR Editor

Lockhart Police Chief Ernest Pedraza released the 2021 Racial Profiling Report for his department at last week’s meeting of the City Council.

“The department maintains a strong stance against racial profiling,” Pedraza said.

Motor Vehicle Stops for the city were up slightly in 2021 at 4,440 from 3,565 the previous year, noting the increase was likely due to the COVID mandates of 2020. Stops were at 6,103 in 2019.

The following races/ethnicities were stopped in 2020 and 2021:

African American – 379, 406

Asian/Pacific Islander — 25, 21

White — 1,469, 1,882

Hispanic — 1,684, 2,116

Alaska Native — 8, 15

Searches resulting from stops in 2019 totaled 165, while there were 199 in 2020 and 204 in 2021.

Among the vehicle searches in 2021, 33 were African American, 61 were White, 109 were Hispanic, and one was Asian/Pacific Islander.

In other business:

Attainable Senior Housing is promised to be coming to Lockhart, but those looking for the new project will probably have to wait a while for its opening.

A representative of Cornerstone Associates LLC of Omaha, Neb., told the Council that construction of Legacy Senior Housing’s 160-unit, three-story complex complete with elevators will begin this October but he doesn’t expect it to be completed until the spring of 2024. The project will be on 7.5 acres between The Stanton Apartments and Highway 130.

The project will not include public or subsidized housing. It was approved unanimously by the Council.

Lockhart Mayor Lew White noted there were four or five other housing projects going on in the city.

White said the numbers for COVID-19 in the city continue to decrease.

“We are seeing a gradual relaxing of the mask mandates. Several local establishments in town don’t require a mask for indoor activities anymore.”

City Manager Steve Lewis did note that the Center for Disease Control still listed Caldwell County as a high-risk community and recommends wearing a mask.

White then added, “Use your best judgment. Get tested if you think you have symptoms. Be aware.”

Benny Hilburn was approved as a member of the Airport Advisory Board.

Lewis noted that the public hearing on the city’s redistricting plans will be held at the next Council meeting on March 15, beginning at 7:30 p.m.

Mayor Pro Tem Angie Gonzales-Sanchez congratulated Joyce Buckner on her retirement from Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative.