Racial Profiling Policies

Racial profiling in law enforcement is referenced when a law enforcement officer targets an individual for suspicion of a crime. A broader definition of racial profiling in law enforcements is when a law enforcement officer, uses an individual’s race or ethnicity, age , time of the day (usually later in the day), dress code and also location to accuse a person of a crime. In today’s world the term racial profiling can be viewed in various view points, because of people having different opinions on the term, many disagreements occur. Some people believe that specific incidents are not cases of racial profiling and others think otherwise, needless to say an argument occurs.

What is racial profiling? The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) defines racial profiling as “the discriminatory practice by law enforcement officials of targeting individuals for suspicion of crime based on the individual’s race, ethnicity, religion or national origin” (2005). Do not confuse racial profiling with criminal profiling; criminal profiling is usually practiced by police in which they use a group of characteristics that are associated with crime to target individuals (ACLU, 2005). Examples of racial profiling include using ones race to target specific drivers for traffic violations and pedestrians for illegal contraband; another prime example is the targeting of Muslims, Arabs, and South Asians since 9/11 in

There is recent controversy over police use of force, especially in minority communities such as in African American communities, Hispanic communities, and other publics with large populations of minorities. Increased levels of force among these communities have created challenges for police departments. These challenges include a lack of trust from the community towards law enforcement officers and an absence of respect creating situations that lead to police use of force. There are already various programs in place that attempt to decrease this challenge by educating the public, respecting one another, and giving those who were on the wrong track second chances. A combination of these solutions and the implementation of more of them would decrease the number of contacts between police and minorities that lead to the use of force (Roberg & Novak, 2014).

This journal entry was taken from the Canadian journal of Criminology and Criminal Justice, and is one of the wide variety of articles discussing the issues of racial profiling and linkage to law enforcement. Janet Chan specializes in Criminal justice policies, and policing and security, she used sources similar of John Crank with additional new sources, but both papers were different due to each approach. Chan acknowledge her stand in the introduction of the paper. Chan expertise in field of Criminology aided in supporting the points of the paper. Th encore purpose of the paper is to provide different solutions for racial profiling in law enforcement which are studied in other countries. One of the solutions Chan stated is for officers to be trained and educated about the impact of racial profiling, and the creation of a database to monitor such behavior.

With racial profiling being perceived as an illegal proxy for criminality of an entire racial group, occurs when a particular group of members of a certain race or ethnicity become subject to excessive institutional surveillance or criminal justice than members of other groups (Wortley & Tanner, 2004:198). In 2007 Wortley and Bempah conducted a study in Toronto to discover whether a process of racialization exists within the Toronto Police Force. Racialization is consists of classifying certain groups by virtue of their skin colour, as stereotypical labels surface from this system of ‘colour-coding’ (Wortley & Bempah, 2011:402). Wortley and Bempah (2011:402) uncovered that blacks are more likely than Whites and Asians to experience multiple

Dear next president i have a question for you . when will you prohibit racism and racial profiling, and prohibit discrimination . it occurs every 24 hours 24/7. A colored person is killed every day just because of their color.this country is supposed to be land of the home and the brave . not the land of the racists. I mean that there is some nice people that aren’t so mean.like one day a man brought food for a nice innocent homeless man. So it doesn’t have to be racial profiling or discrimination or racism.this needs to be stopped because this country will just be such a sad country with most of our police dying because of racism.but now the police can’t be trusted because of all of these hate crimes. Also some of the candidates are just

Recent incidents of police brutality have brought up critical discussions on policing and law enforcement across the country. The nation seems to have come into a consensus about police reforms, and find an alternative way to fight crimes while assuring the safety of the public . At a time where unarmed black teenagers are being gunned down by police officers who were there to protect, and police departments are more militarized than ever; one wonders about the legitimacy of the police system that is in place. The mistrust of the public on police, and the costly militarization of police are the results of “aggressive” policing approach that has been practiced for years. An alternative way of policing, community policing, has been recommended and put in place in some parts of the country. Community policing mainly focuses on preventing crimes by working first hand with communities and change the dynamic of power by having communities actively engaged to work for their safety. Community policing is not a new method, it has been discussed by scholars since the late 1980’s and is now getting more attention than ever with recent protests on police brutality. Unlike standard policing, community policing is economically efficient, and has proven to be effective in reducing crimes.

Police officers today face many challenges. Some concerns include dangers or safety concerns related to being a police officer, questions of the use of force and the public’s perception of officers being corrupt. Additionally, with cases of deaths and accusations that have come to the forefront about police throughout the United Stated, questions about police racial profiling have also come to light. Today’s police are considered to be corrupt and prejudice against minorities. Their image has been tarnished and police are now seen as the enemy. Many compare today’s law enforcement officers to the police officers that were prejudice and brutalized blacks during the civil rights

The first, and the most common, is that of racial profiling performed by the police towards the citizens of the community. This type of profiling is traditionally felt more by non-White communities living in lower income housing neighborhoods where the crime statistics are known to be higher. Researchers have generally focused on race as a basis for stopping, questioning, and searching citizens, as well as on severe cases of misconduct, including police brutality or the shooting of citizens (Graziano, Schuck, & Martin, 2010). Yet many questions remain as to how this profiling correlates to police-community relations, which is what this research will explore. The second type is the profiling of police officers by early intervention systems to determine if police-community relations can improve with proper warning systems in place. These systems are essential mechanisms which will help raise flags when there is notice of problem officers or other police misconduct (Macintyre, Prenzler, & Chapman, 2008). This research will explore their usefulness and effectiveness in improving police-community relations.

While America enjoys believing that the days of minority discrimination are long over, the reality is different. The law does protect minorities from overt instances of discrimination, but the society nonetheless maintains a double standard in terms of how minorities are generally treated and perceived. In plain terms, and despite how the population of the nation has become so diverse, bias continues to exist and blacks, Asians, Latin Americans, gays, and other minority groups face prejudice and marginalization. As an example, racial profiling by the police continues to be both practiced and largely defended by law enforcement. If one social behavior most reflects how this widespread minority discrimination is practiced, however, it is the ironic one of denial. More exactly, and as blatantly seen in all media, a kind of condescension is in place regarding minorities, in which American society asserts just how oblivious it is to any racial or other differences. According to media, not only are minorities firmly entrenched within the society, they enjoy exactly the same status as any mainstream, white population. Even as this occurs, moreover, it then somehow becomes acceptable to revert to stereotypical – and demeaning – humor. As the following explores, America 's minorities today suffer from a double-edged sword of bias; the prejudices remain, but are cloaked within a pretense of equality and full understanding.

Although policing has been around for many decades, law enforcement roles have not changed too significantly. Media, such as television shows and movies, portray law enforcement officers as fearless crime fighters who are in daily high speed chases and shoot outs. While these crimes may be possible, it is not likely on a daily basis. So, just what do police officers respond too then? They deal with many various types of service calls each month and year including little disruptions and civil arguments or disputes. Police officers today need to be in different places for all different types of complaints and issues. Because many agencies do not have the capability or manpower for the growing need, community policing is a fast growing necessity for these agencies. This paper will discuss where community policing originated from, how it effects law enforcement today, and some of the ways we can expand the concept of community policing to benefit everyone for the future.

Local law enforcement are an enormous staple of any community. Police departments are usually highly involved with many of the events that a community organizes such as school D.A.R.E programs, fund raisers, or even sporting events. Building a healthy relationship with the community is extremely important. However, when the community begins to notice a change with some of the practices of the police department, most notably targeting specific races in the community for stops, searches, arrest, etc., then tensions can rise. Police operate at the maximum potential when the community they serve is compliant. However, compliance between the two slowly fades when a rift is formed where trust formerly existed. Whereas once parents would tell their children to be respectful towards police, instead they would shape them to be mistrustful of them. One such victim, by the name of Corliss Davies, had the following to say regarding her unfortunate experiences with her local police. “In our life, we see a bunch of stuff go down — people getting beat up by police for no reason, and there ain’t nothing we can do. Who do you report the police to?” (Olorunnipa, 2014) Statistics even show that about 60% of White Americans have trust in the police, whereas only 37% of African Americans have trust in law enforcement. (Olorunnipa, 2014)

Racial profiling consists of suspecting that someone has broken the law base on their race or ethnicity. It is a common practice among the law enforcement to use racial profiling to narrow down suspects. After all, old women on the bus have a much lower probability of peddling drugs than young African American men in the ghetto. Nowadays this topic has become a taboo for people believe that racial profiling is racist. This concept is false, one must acknowledge the fact that certain individuals are responsible for certain crimes. At one-point people must acknowledge these facts and understand that racial profiling is a necessity that has lasted due to its effectiveness, not because the police force is rampant with racists. Racial profiling is mostly based on statistics. It helps keeping potential law breakers in check and it is, without a doubt, an aspect we all take into account as a human race.

Racism in America is a problem that remains prevalent in today’s society and has become both habitual and institutionalized. Both the perpetrators as well as the victims of racism are fueling this flame. The common existence of racism influences the recipients of it, minorities, to generalize and resent an entire race of people. Minorities are partially to blame because some of them are incapable of letting go of the past, of forgiving, of seeing white people as more than just the enemy, and of putting blame only where blame is due.

Racial profiling is considered to be the act of targeting members of a particular society based on stereotypes regarding their racial behaviors, instead of an individual’s suspicion. Racial profiling is more prevalent in the United States and it is normally used by the law enforcement agencies at the federal, state, and local levels, whereby it is mainly used to discriminate against citizens with a background of Muslim, Arab, South Asian, Latino, Asian, and African American communities living in Canada. In other jurisdictions such as in European countries, racial profiling is also rampant and it is commonly referred to as ethnic profiling.