(Discrimination's Lingering Sting) Profiling became more indicated during the decades 1980s and 90s when the troopers were accorded incentives for making increasing numbers of drug arrests. (Danitz, 1999) One conventional law enforcement validation for racial disparities in police detentions and searches is that it entails sense to detain and search people of color in greater numbers, since they are more prone to be guilty of drug offenses
The officer has to "translate those cues into legal procedures and rules of evidence." This takes training, and when the dust has settled, the question that is important is was their "probable cause" to justify the stop, the search, the ticket or the arrest? An article in the online version of the San Francisco Chronicle (Fagan
And also, there is "no penalty" for failure to provide data. Meanwhile, an article in the Journal of Quantitative Criminology (Ridgeway, 2006) reports that due to the public perception that many traffic officers stop drivers based on race, police departments across the nation are gathering data on traffic stops
And so it is reasonable to realize there is much more involved in the process of determining the nature of a traffic stop than just a black and white result; the bottom line is that researchers have to be fully informed as to all the variables that go into traffic stops, not just who was stopped and why. Another article dealing with this issue is published in the International Journal of Police Science & Management (Vito, 2006)
This is seen as a sick joke to many when murders walk free but minority advocates counter that allowing such convictions to stick would make the situation untenable for racial minorities. After all, Ernesto Miranda, the namesake of the now ubiquitous Miranda Rights was a rapist and a guilty one at that (Crank)
Put another way, if a person or police officer is describing a suspect, the two major things they will describe are the race and the age profile of the person and perhaps height and weight on top of that. Something that has pushed that trend even further, rightly or wrongly, is the advent of more advanced DNA technology that can use a DNA/tissue sample from a scene to help get at least an idea as to the complexion and race of the person that committed a crime and/or is a person of interest regarding a crime (Fox)
This is not to say that they are in the right because they are not. However, not all people with racist mindset are the same (Henry, and Tator) Conclusion The salient point that can be taken from the research above is that while racial profiling for the sake of racial profiling is wrong, it can also be said that as wrong-minded as the tactic and subject can be, there is some credence to the fact that it can be effective and that the subject is not nearly as black and white as some may have us believe
However, it should be noted that a major caveat to this argument is that even after a stop is made, the officer still has a significant amount of discretion as to what to do after the stop has been started up to and including searching the suspect, searching their car, questioning what they're up to and/or just letting them go. The stop itself is not necessarily a problem point for racial profiling but it certainly can be if the race of the person being stopped alone is the main reason (or even just one of them) for a stop (Pickerill, and Mosher, and Pratt)
As such, many people see no problem in singling out people in this demographic because they are far and away the most likely to be offenders as far as terrorism goes. As true as that might be, many hold that this is still wrong because innocents are going to be prejudged (Ryberg)
A major reason and cause for this is that Martin cannot defend or explain himself. However, whether Zimmerman is guilty or not, the cacophony of rhetoric both for and against Zimmerman has perhaps made it quite unclear what is motives were (Satzewich, and Shaffir)
The inverse would also be true. However, that question is not entirely black and white, pardon the pun (Stenning)
Agencies like customs enforcement go so far as to give suspected smugglers cavity searches and "monitored bowel movements" to make sure that suspected smugglers do not indeed have drugs on or "in" their person. The problem with the above, though, is that the searches done to ensnare such people are very invasive and in many ways brutal and innocent people sometimes get trapped by such tactics unfairly and sometimes because of improper racial profiling and/or because the race of the person being search fits the "template" smuggler or other criminal profile (Thomsen) Racial profiling can be applied and assessed throughout culture but it's almost always associated with policing habits and tactics and is also commonly associated with racism against minority groups as they seem to be the ones most affected by the tactic
Regardless of one's view with respect to the prevalence of racial profiling, the practice is only a complementary tool in an entire set of law enforcement techniques. Profiling in general is the practice of "viewing certain characteristics as indicators of criminal behavior" and is an accepted law enforcement practice that works in concert with other policing strategies (Cleary, 2000)
It also differs based on ethnicity. A Harris Interactive poll showed marked differences of opinion on the ethics of racial profiling by blacks, Hispanics and whites (Fetto, 2002)
The consequentialist perspective is at the heart of many arguments in favor of racial profiling. Israeli airline El Al is known for its use of racial profiling, but also boasts a perfect track record of preventing hijackings and other onboard terrorist incidents (Siggins, 2002)
We view today the internment of Japanese during World War II as a negative act, but the view at the time was that it was a necessary step for national security. Today, we see Chinese scientists expelled from sensitive research positions (Wong, 2000) and most Americans support profiling of individuals of Middle Eastern descent (Siggins, 2002)
Moreover, the sheriff requires prisoners to wear pink underwear, provides them with cheap meals, and limited their access to several comforts. The sheriff's decision to house prisoners in the renowned "tent city" jail, promote chain gang labor, and forcing prisoners to carry out very public marches is a strategy geared towards humiliating inmates since it also features pink underwear and pink handcuffs (Carter, 2010, p
One year after telling the Huffington Post that illegal immigration is not a serious crime in Maricopa County, Sheriff Joe Arpaio told Latinos to watch their steps or movements in the county, especially if they cannot prove their legitimacy. He stated that Latinos who fail to prove they are legitimate will be arrested and imprisoned in the "tent city" jail, a place the y certainly wouldn't want to go (Conde, 2010, p
One year after telling the Huffington Post that illegal immigration is not a serious crime in Maricopa County, Sheriff Joe Arpaio told Latinos to watch their steps or movements in the county, especially if they cannot prove their legitimacy. He stated that Latinos who fail to prove they are legitimate will be arrested and imprisoned in the "tent city" jail, a place the y certainly wouldn't want to go (Conde, 2010, p
Evidence of Racial Profiling in Maricopa County Sheriff's Office: As earlier discussed, there is overwhelming evidence of the involvement of Sheriff Joe Arpaio in racial profiling that targets Latinos. In a recent court ruling, the sheriff was found guilty of practicing racial profiling of Latinos by violating their constitutional rights in his efforts to fight illegal immigration (Fernandez, 2013)