{"id":1807,"date":"2026-06-16T13:04:21","date_gmt":"2026-06-16T13:04:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/arizonamovinginsider.com\/?p=1807"},"modified":"2026-06-16T13:04:21","modified_gmt":"2026-06-16T13:04:21","slug":"map-phoenix-traffic-ticket-data-shows-hot-spots-racial-disparities","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/arizonamovinginsider.com\/?p=1807","title":{"rendered":"MAP: Phoenix traffic ticket data shows hot spots, racial disparities"},"content":{"rendered":"
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PHOENIX \u2014 An ABC15 analysis of Phoenix police traffic citation data has identified ticket \u201chot spots\u201d citywide and highlights racial disparities in who is being ticketed.<\/p>\n

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We examined the latest available citywide police data, spanning from January 1 to September 9, 2025, finding 37,950 total civil and criminal traffic citations issued across Phoenix during that period.<\/p>\n

A total of 10 hot spots were mapped where drivers received more tickets than other areas and population groups that received the most tickets per capita were identified.<\/p>\n

Take a look at the interactive map below to see the traffic ticket \u201chot spots\u201d in your community.<\/i><\/p>\n

Traffic enforcement is influenced by many factors that don\u2019t always align with population distribution: traffic volume, collision trends, calls for service, and the layout of our major corridors, according to the Phoenix Police Department.<\/p>\n

Those specific areas highlighted in the map see more enforcement activity based on these factors, regardless of who lives in the surrounding neighborhood, Phoenix Police Commander Mercedes Fortune said in an emailed statement to ABC15. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe analyze these operational factors carefully to understand why differences appear in the data and whether adjustments are needed,\u201d Fortune said.<\/p>\n

Racial Disparities<\/b><\/h2>\n

Black drivers may receive fewer tickets than white or Hispanic drivers in Phoenix, but, on a per-capita basis, Black drivers are the most frequently ticketed group.<\/p>\n

White drivers received about 15,530 traffic citations. Hispanic\/Latino drivers received 14,960 citations. Black and African American drivers received far fewer citations \u2014 about 5,095 citations.<\/p>\n

Our per-capita analysis found 23 tickets per 1,000 white Phoenix residents and nearly the same rate \u2014 23 per 1,000 \u2014 for Hispanic residents. But for Black residents, the rate was 43 tickets per 1,000 \u2014 nearly double the propensity.<\/p>\n

The disparity is even more pronounced among younger Black men. The citywide average was 25 tickets per 1,000 Phoenix residents. But for Black men ages 20 to 29, the rate was 100 tickets per 1,000. For Black men ages 30 to 39, it was 91 tickets per 1,000.<\/p>\n

Kenneth Smith, a Black community organizer and former candidate for Phoenix City Council, said the findings reflect longstanding concerns about racial disparity in policing.<\/p>\n

“It’s not surprising as much as it is disheartening,” Smith said.<\/p>\n

Smith said the data points to a deliberate pattern.<\/p>\n

\u201cYour intentions are where the data is,” Smith said. \u201cTo be Phoenix, Arizona, and have a small, very small population of Black people, but being the area in which they live the most is over-policed, it shows where their intentions are.\u201d<\/p>\n

Commander Fortune, who declined an on-camera interview on behalf of the department, responded in an email statement, saying, \u201cThe Police Department reviews our traffic enforcement data closely, and we pay attention when we see disparities.\u201c<\/p>\n

Fortune acknowledged, from January through September 2025, 13.43% of Phoenix police traffic citations involved African American drivers and that percentage is higher than the city\u2019s African American population.<\/p>\n

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\u201cA disparity in numbers does not automatically mean bias, but it does mean we look deeper to understand what is driving it,\u201d Fortune said. She also emphasized the department\u2019s expectation that enforcement actions are based on violations and safety priorities, not on race.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur commitment is to ensure all communities are policed fairly and without bias,\u201d Fortune said.<\/p>\n

Phoenix\u2019s Ticket Hot Spots<\/b><\/h2>\n

The analysis also identified geographic concentrations of citations in Phoenix.<\/p>\n

The highest-volume area for traffic tickets is near the intersection of 16th Street and Broadway Road in South Phoenix. Phoenix police identify the half-mile by half-mile area on their crime map grid as AF30. Police issued 297 citations in that area alone, from January 1 to September 9, 2025.<\/p>\n

Four of Phoenix\u2019s top 10 ticket hot spots are in South Phoenix, adjacent to a stretch of Broadway Road, which is also known as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard.<\/p>\n

At HBY Auto Sales, a used car lot in the area, Bahnam Kheder said he warns customers heading out on test drives to be careful.<\/p>\n

“I say go slow,\u201d Kheder said. \u201cDon’t speed in this area because you’re getting a ticket.”<\/p>\n

He said police are frequently in the area.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe most area I’ve seen police in – it is 16th Street,” Kheder said.<\/p>\n

Kheder acknowledged that he often sees drivers speeding down 16th Street from Interstate 17, which gives officers reason to make stops.<\/p>\n

Between Thursday and Saturday is the peak patrol time, according to Kheder. He added that sometimes multiple police vehicles will \u201cstop and they hide.”<\/p>\n

Other ticket hot spots include Maryvale, from Indian School to Camelback Road between 59th and 67th avenues, the area around Chase Field in downtown Phoenix, and an area near the intersection of Jomax Road and Tatum Boulevard.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have safeguards in place\u2014supervisor oversight, policies, body\u2011worn cameras, data reviews, and ongoing training\u2014to ensure fair and consistent policing,\u201d Commander Fortune said. \u201cWhen we see disparities, we don\u2019t ignore them. We examine them, we look for root causes, and we make changes when appropriate.\u201d<\/p>\n

Overall, the Black Mountain and Cactus Park precincts issued the most tickets.<\/p>\n

Read the full Phoenix Police statement:<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Police Department reviews our traffic enforcement data closely, and we pay attention when we see disparities. From January through September 2025, 13.43 percent of our citations involved African American drivers. We recognize that this percentage is higher than the city\u2019s African American population, and we take that seriously. A disparity in numbers does not automatically mean bias, but it does mean we look deeper to understand what is driving it.<\/i><\/p>\n

\u201cTraffic enforcement is influenced by many factors that don\u2019t always align with population distribution: traffic volume, collision trends, calls for service, and the layout of our major corridors. Those specific areas see more enforcement activity based on these factors, regardless of who lives in the surrounding neighborhood. We analyze these operational factors carefully to understand why differences appear in the data and whether adjustments are needed.<\/i><\/p>\n

\u201cOur expectation is that every member of this department conducts enforcement based on violations and safety priorities, not on race. We have safeguards in place\u2014supervisor oversight, policies,body\u2011worn cameras, data reviews, and ongoing training\u2014to ensure fair and consistent policing. When we see disparities, we don\u2019t ignore them. We examine them, we look for root causes, and we make changes when appropriate. Our commitment is to ensure all communities are policed fairly and without bias.\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n

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An ABC15 analysis of Phoenix police traffic citation data has identified ticket \u201chot spots\u201d citywide and highlights racial disparities in who is being ticketed.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1806,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[22],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1807","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-investigations"],"yoast_head":"\nMAP: Phoenix traffic ticket data shows hot spots, racial disparities - Arizona Moving Insider<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/arizonamovinginsider.com\/?p=1807\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"MAP: Phoenix traffic ticket data shows hot spots, racial disparities - 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