Mesquite police Chief Charles Cato says his officers are pulling over fewer drivers on the road during the coronavirus pandemic, but the number of citations are keeping pace as officers have changed their strategy.
Mesquite officers have made 13,220 traffic stops so far this year and issued 13,209 citations, according to data Cato presented to the City Council on Monday during his quarterly report.
In all of 2019, Mesquite police made 30,818 stops and issued 17,953 citations.
Cato attributed the high number of citations made per stop to the coronavirus pandemic, which has led to fewer people on the roads — but, he said, also made it easier for drivers to reach high speeds.
“During the pandemic, we’re trying to limit the number of contacts with citizens that are necessary,” he said, going on to say that officers weren’t stopping drivers “unless they were doing something really wrong” and the officers needed to ticket them.
Mayor Pro Tem Robert Miklos, who represents District 3, said he was surprised by the number and, as a former prosecutor, found value in making stops based on probable cause that could result in seizure of drugs or other contraband.
“That means there were only 11 stops in seven months where a ticket was not issued. That’s an extraordinary statistic,” Mikos said. “I will say that I’m not focused on the revenue generation portion of the traffic stops. What I’m concerned about is the interdiction element of traffic stops, the righteous, correct, probable-cause stop of a vehicle for whatever reason.”
While overall crime statistics are encouraging for the most part, Cato said, vehicular burglaries are on the rise.
Cato said he is frustrated by the number of people who leave their vehicles unlocked, making them easy targets. The police department estimates that 58% of vehicular burglaries involve unlocked vehicles.
“It would really help if people would just lock their cars. We’re seeing very few smash-and-grabs or prying of locks,” he said.
Cato said he is specifically frustrated when drivers not only leave their vehicle unlocked but leave a firearm in their vehicle, potentially putting a gun in the hands of someone without registration for the weapon.
