Racial Profiling
Racial Profiling
Abstract
Racial profiling is a current, central, and controversial area of law enforcement. There have been many concerns and issues among the minorities, politicians, law enforcement administrators, and researchers about the police use of racial profiling. This paper discusses the issues of racial profiling, such as racial bias of police, which includes racial profiling of motorist, cyclists, and pedestrians. The issue of discriminatory treatment of minority individuals and minority neighborhoods will also be addressed. This paper also includes the impact of racial profiling upon minority communities, citizens, and law enforcement agencies. This paper concludes with suggestions on how to prevent racial profiling in law enforcement.
Introduction Racial profiling is any police or private security practice in which a person is treated as a suspect because of his race, ethnicity, nationality or religion (Shusta, Levine, Wong, and Harris, 2005). This happens when police investigate, stop, frisk, search, or use force against a person based on these characteristics. This also happens when people of color are stopped and searched for traffic violations, known as “DWB” or “driving while black or brown” (Holbert, 2004). The phrase of “driving while black or brown” is not only associated with African Americans and Latinos but also with Asians, Native Americans, Arabs, Muslims, and South Asians. Racial profiling can also involve pedestrian stops, bicycle stops, use of police attack dogs, and suspicion at stores and malls. Racial profiling happens to both men and women, affects all age groups, and is used against people from all socio-economic backgrounds (Shusta et al., 2005).Tens and thousands of innocent drivers, pedestrians, and shoppers across the country have been victims of
Page 2 racial profiling. The issue of racial profiling such as racial bias of police and discriminatory treatment of minority individuals needs attention because
Abstract
Racial profiling is a current, central, and controversial area of law enforcement. There have been many concerns and issues among the minorities, politicians, law enforcement administrators, and researchers about the police use of racial profiling. This paper discusses the issues of racial profiling, such as racial bias of police, which includes racial profiling of motorist, cyclists, and pedestrians. The issue of discriminatory treatment of minority individuals and minority neighborhoods will also be addressed. This paper also includes the impact of racial profiling upon minority communities, citizens, and law enforcement agencies. This paper concludes with suggestions on how to prevent racial profiling in law enforcement.
Introduction Racial profiling is any police or private security practice in which a person is treated as a suspect because of his race, ethnicity, nationality or religion (Shusta, Levine, Wong, and Harris, 2005). This happens when police investigate, stop, frisk, search, or use force against a person based on these characteristics. This also happens when people of color are stopped and searched for traffic violations, known as “DWB” or “driving while black or brown” (Holbert, 2004). The phrase of “driving while black or brown” is not only associated with African Americans and Latinos but also with Asians, Native Americans, Arabs, Muslims, and South Asians. Racial profiling can also involve pedestrian stops, bicycle stops, use of police attack dogs, and suspicion at stores and malls. Racial profiling happens to both men and women, affects all age groups, and is used against people from all socio-economic backgrounds (Shusta et al., 2005).Tens and thousands of innocent drivers, pedestrians, and shoppers across the country have been victims of
Page 2 racial profiling. The issue of racial profiling such as racial bias of police and discriminatory treatment of minority individuals needs attention because
References: Gerdes, Louise I. (2004). Police Brutality. San Diego, California: Greenhaven Press. Harris, David A. (2002). Profiles in Justice: Why racial Profiling Cannot Work. New York: New Press. Holbert, Steve. (2004). The Color of Guilt and Innocence: Racial Profiling and Police Practice in America Petrocelli, Matthew. Piquero, Alex R. Smith, Michael R. (2003) “Conflict Theory and Racial Profiling: An Empirical Analysis of Police Traffic Stop Data”, Journal of Criminal Schafer, Joseph A. Carter, David L. Katz-Bannister, Andra. (2004) “Studying Traffic Stop Encounters”, Journal of Criminal Justice, 32/2 (Mar-Apr): 159-170. Shusta, Robert M. Levine, Deena R. Wong, Herbert Z. Harris, Phillip R. (2005). Multicultural Law Enforcement: Strategies for Peacekeeping in a Diverse Society