Racial Profiling

[Nebulous]

http://www.debate.org/police-profiling/

Racial profiling is a phrase often used in law enforcement or the court system to refer to the use of a person's ethnicity or race to decide on whether to engage in some type of legal proceeding. The act itself is very controversial and considered by many as illegal and inappropriate.

Racial Profiling Debate

There are several definitions of racial profiling, including those established by different offices like the Office of the Arizona Attorney General. This office defines it as "Use by law enforcement personnel of an individual's race or ethnicity as a factor in articulating reasonable suspicion to stop, question or arrest an individual, unless race or ethnicity is part of an identifying description of a specific suspect for a specific crime." Most definitions are similar in that they identify that some type of police action is being taken that relies on the national origin or race or ethnicity of a person rather than the actual behavior of the person in some manner of criminal activity.

Racial profiling is also referred to as racially-biased policing and can be broken up into a narrow definition and a broad definition. The narrow definition is the most commonly used definition with regards to a police officer stopping, questioning, arresting or searching someone based on his or her ethnicity or race. The more broad definition looks at racial profiling as occurring whenever police use race or ethnicity as a factor when reacting with suspicion and action against an individual.

Critics of racial profiling look to the Fourth Amendment of the United States Constitution to challenge the practice. This amendment protects citizens from unreasonable searches and seizures without probable cause. The Fourteenth Amendment is also used in legal cases to support the right of citizens to be treated equally under the laws of the United States.

In 2001, former President George W. Bush addressed a Joint Session of Congress and declared that racial profiling was wrong and that America was going to end it. He went on to comment that the nation's police officers need the support of the American people, and due to the abuses of a few, they were hindered in doing their jobs properly. Rather than being racially profiled, law enforcement was being pigeon holed, although it could be said they were experiencing a similar situation to that of those individuals who were racially profiled. A year later, Attorney General John Ashcroft shared President Bush's sentiment and stated that using race as an indicator of potential criminal behavior was unconstitutional and undermined the criminal justice system. A former policy regarding racial profiling was issued by the Department of Justice in June of 2003 that forbade the practice by federal law enforcement officials.

Police Profiling Debate

The racial profiling debate, however, seems to center on whether or not the practice is really all that bad. Some in the realm of law enforcement argue that the practice is necessary and effective. They believe that due to demographic and socio-economic factors and their relation to crime, those in a large minority population have a higher risk of participating in criminal activities. They argue that ignoring the facts due to moral integrity is professionally and morally wrong. If law enforcement officers are to identify and take action against violators, any information to assist them in being more effective is crucial. Critics of racial profiling argue that individual rights are violated when this practice is utilized. Civil liberties organizations intimate that this type of profiling is in fact a form of discrimination and undermines basic human rights and freedoms. Researchers are interested in collecting data and analyzing trends to see how this information corresponds to perceptions of racial profiling and the effects it has on ethnic groups.

Thoughts?

 

[Dee]

This is a double-edged sword for me. I believe that yes, there are different races out there who are more inclined to be the ones committing crimes, but this has been proven time and time again that it is not always the case. At this point, the police have become militaristic in their "fight" against crime, and it has gone way too far in many cases that could have been diffused in other ways had they been trained differently. Something isn't working right here in America. Our jails and prisons are over crowded. We have a mental health crisis that is out of control. People are being locked up for ridiculous crimes such as possessing marijuana. It's ridiculous.

And in that case, let's bring up the idea of socio-economic factors. There is a divide in this country between certain races who were never given a shot in the first place, from birth. So who are we raising to become citizens who are then forced to step into this roll the country has bestowed upon them? It starts from birth.

 

[Dee]

How do we know if those numbers aren't skewed, and where are you getting those numbers in the first place? Let's have some credible sources. What kind of violent crimes are occurring? How do we know if they're truly guilty and not being framed, or being unfairly racially profiled by people who are racist or ignorant about living in a country where racism still very much exists? The justice system is deeply flawed, so it goes much deeper than we know because it's been exposed before. Who's to say it's not happening any longer? How many times have we been suspicious or disgusted when a cop does something to a white person when they didn't deserve it? What about the cop who shot at the black guy following the police man's orders to grab his license and registration from inside his car? It happens.

 

[Dee]

I'm not trying to prove you wrong, Smooth. That's not my point. What I'm trying to do is make clear the fact that we all know injustice occurs for everyone, but quite clearly more races than others (which is where white privilege can be brought into the picture, but I do not have the right to stand up for anyone of any other race than my own as I don't experience injustice due to the color of my skin). The numbers are most definitely skewed, and just because a certain race happens to be involved in more crimes doesn't mean we should profile them.

What I'm saying is that a change needs to happen. If you're sticking up for the police in this situation, that's fine. You're more than entitled to that belief and I'm not saying you're wrong. It's all subjective. But I know from just seeing it in the world around me that many people of different races are treated unfairly because of the color of their skin. This isn't me spouting some unwarranted rant. Racial profiling happens, but it doesn't NEED to happen in order to catch criminals. It's a product of the inherently flawed justice system, and it is enforced by people who have been poorly trained to deal with certain situations under some really ridiculous laws they have to abide by in this country.

 

[Ellie1142545]

Racial Profiling is alive and well, once again.....And it's so, so sad to see....

I don't like it....I didn't like it, when the whites were doing it years ago....And I don't like it now, and it's now the black people who are doing it.....

I've carried a dream for years.....A dream that Martin Luther King Jr., and others died for....
Will that dream come true? The way it stands now, no.....It won't....And we have Reverend Jessie Jackson Jr., and Reverend Al Sharpton, to thank.....They are screaming right left and center about Racial Prejudice.....

This makes me angry!! They are going against what M.L.K. Jr. wanted.....His dream, that one day, our children will walk hand in hand, and they all will be treated as equal.....

I'm from a Muticultured family....Irish (My Dad), Indian (My Mom), Hispanic (Mexico) (Nephew), Spaniard (Spain) (Nephew and Niece), Bi-racial (Cousin), her Mother is white, her Father African-American.....And I love my family dearly.....

Yes there is just way to much profiling going on....Some are police officers, some aren't, some in government offices, and just about anyone you meet up with could be guilty of it....But....I carry on that dream.....Maybe one day......

 

[DrLeftover]

There are those that will tell you, and do so with a straight face, that if a member of The Community commits a crime against another member of The Community that is is a White Man's fault.

 

[DrLeftover]

Obviously the video camera was profiling:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2792469/teenage-vandals-swarm-brooklyn-deli-yelling-anti-semitic-language-destroying-700-worth-candies-cookies.html

 

[Webster]

Obviously the video camera was profiling:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2792469/teenage-vandals-swarm-brooklyn-deli-yelling-anti-semitic-language-destroying-700-worth-candies-cookies.html

...or it simply caught a crime that took place; not everything is profiling, Doc...

 

[WHO IS SERAFIN]

I understand how and why racial profiling came to be. The fact is, the black community makes up 14% of our population, yet they commit 44% of the violent crimes. Middle Eastern looking people are just going to be suspect because of 9/11 and everything we've learned about muslims and their practices since. We keep seeing the same ethnicity of people committing the crimes, so racial profiling makes perfect sense to me.

Exactly correct. Profile and profile often. It works better then any other system and the Israelis have it down to a science.

 

[DrLeftover]

Obviously the video camera was profiling:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2792469/teenage-vandals-swarm-brooklyn-deli-yelling-anti-semitic-language-destroying-700-worth-candies-cookies.html

...or it simply caught a crime that took place; not everything is profiling, Doc...

I disagree based on experience.

Now, in the town where we used to live, if a white officer pulls over a member of The Community for a traffic violation, they are accused of profiling, and various Community Groups encourages them to go to trial.

It serves two purposes, it forces the officer to show up in court, thereby discouraging the white members of the force from issuing tickets to members of The Community.