Police and Racial Profiling Essay - 2724 Words

Can we stop the unjust practice of racial profiling? Is it correct for Police Officers to stop a black driver for an alleged traffic offense to question and sometimes search the black driver? These questions provoke the need to understand racial profiling and racism along with what problems are involved and the possible solutions. Doesnt the use of race make sense? Isnt it really just good police work? The guarantee to all persons of equal protection under the law is one of the most fundamental principals of our democratic society. Our government must continue to evaluate the facts and take appropriate action to resolve this controversial issue. Ever since the late 1970s profiling was associated with a method of†¦show more content†¦For example, if a black man is seen carrying a television set in a predominately black neighborhood and an officer decides that he is suspicious. Soft racial profiling uses race as one factor among others in judging criminal suspiciousness. An example of soft profiling is using known data that a black drug lord who favors driving Honda Accords is moving cocaine from the Northeast area of Florida to the Southeast (MacDonald, 2001, para 4). With this information an officer pulls over a speeding Honda accord that also happens to have a black driver. The officer exercises awareness in looking for any signs of drugs while issuing the traffic ticket (Mac Donald, 2003, Pg 10). The act of profiling leads officers to detect a potential criminal, but also to perform searches. An officers decision to search a vehicle is unlike the profiling one that made them decide to pull over a vehicle. A police officer uses a wealth of clues before asking permission to search a vehicle. One clue is a drivers demeanor. Officer Lennon recalls having stopped a white guy in a pick-up truck having a camper compartment on top and the drivers chest was pounding, sweating in the dead of winter and wouldnt look at him. And he states theyre also hiding drugs.(MacDonald, 2001, para 41). Another example is when a trooper sizes up the amount of luggage and can determine if its size coincides with the alleged travel plans. Drugs can be concealed in car doors when windows fail toShow MoreRelatedRacial Profiling by Police Essay1259 Words   |  6 Pages    There are many types of racism in America that cause people to make accusations against law enforcement for discrimination. One type of racism is racial profiling. It is a strategy that encourages police officers to stop and question minorities only because of their race. It takes place in a variety of routine police encounters. Unmotivated searches occur everyday among the minority groups. Could you imagine waking up and being scared to walk outside your house because of the color ofRead More Racial Profiling by Police Essay1502 Words   |  7 Pagesof our lives, including media, culture, and even the legal system. The police are there to protect and serve the community. Racial profiling has prevented police from serving all the community, because in their minds it has been segregated. This has often been disregarded while in reality, racial profiling has corrupted society’s perception of groups of people, especially in law enforcement. On our nations highways, police ostensibly looking for thugs and criminals routinely stop drivers basedRead MorePolice Brutality And Racial Profiling1343 Words   |  6 PagesThe use of police brutality and racial profiling is an unfortunate part of today’s society that needs to be addressed. Blacks are being stopped and searched by police officers in greater numbers compared to other races, and sometimes these situations escalate into violence. 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Every day, people are being pulled over, harassed, and even killed for being of a certain race. There are new laws that politicians are trying to pass that promote racial discrimination. Racial profiling is immoral and does not increase public safety. Incarceration rates are a definite proof that racial discrimination occurs. â€Å"Incarceration rates in the United StatesRead More Racial Profiling by Police Essays929 Words   |  4 Pagesseizures†¦ (108). Under the Fourth Amendment the legal constraints placed on police and the rules they must follow for â€Å"Stop and Frisk† happened as a result of the â€Å"Terry v. Ohio â€Å"case (162). The constraints are that the police cannot stopped and frisk people without reasonable suspicion probable cause or a warrant. Before 1968 the police could search a suspect only if they had probable cause. After the Terry case the police may conduct a frisk search of a suspect’s outer clothing only if there wasRead MorePolice Brutality And Racial Profiling1902 Words   |  8 PagesPolice brutality refers to the intentional utilization of vituperations or extortionate force directed towards a country s citizens by the police force. This extortionate force may be physical or in form of psychological dauntingness. Police brutality is highly evident in many countries all over the world especially in the news where such cases are reported. It is optically discerned as a form of police malfeasance which involves sexual abuse, police corruption, erroneous apprehends, racial profilingRead MoreRacial Profiling And The Police Force1951 Words   |  8 PagesIn modern day society, the police force is meant to safeguard the lives of those they serve, to eliminate crime, to ensure public safety, and to do so in an honorable fashion. They are meant to be respected and trusted by those they potentially protect. Children often looked at them as modern day superheroes. At some po int however, something changed and the neighborhood hero transformed into the villain. What happens when the ones people reach out to in a time of distress become the ones causingRead MorePolice Brutality And Racial Profiling Essay2484 Words   |  10 PagesPolice Brutality and Racial Profiling Police Brutality is defined as the use of excessive force by police officers when they encounter civilians. Police officers are defined as people who are responsible for the prevention of crime. Brutality is defined as, â€Å"savage, physical violence.† Police brutality has been alive and well for many years, but a majority of the cases had been recently. Dating back to the times of the Civil Rights Movement and even before, minorities have been treated with little