Essay - Racial Profiling Introduction One of the Most Controversial Law Enforcements...

Racial Profiling

Introduction

***** of the most controversial law enforcements techniques is known as racial profiling. Racial ***** is defined ***** "any action undertaken for reasons of safety, security or public protection that relies on stereotypes about race, col*****, ethnicity, ancestry, or place of origin ra*****r than on reasonable suspicion, to single out an individual for greater scrutiny or different treatment" (David 2004, 17). While contempo*****y law en*****cement *****ficials maintain racial profiling is ***** effective and efficient allocation of resources in the form of a management tool, minorities, particularly African Americans ***** Hispanics, have alleged racial profiling is tantamount to rac*****m and discrimination. After September 11, 2001, an increasing number of persons of Middle-Eastern origin ***** made similar claims. This analysis will look at ***** use of racial profiling from a ***** of perspectives.

Body

Law enforcement officials view racial profiling as a ***** *****ol th***** enables the effective ***** efficient use of resources. Officials in law enforcement argue that statistics demonstrate ***** a majority of crimes are committed by young-to-middle-aged *****. Such ***** argue it is a w*****te of sc*****rce resources to target female senior citizens, as *****y ***** least likely to commit crime. Focus*****g on other segments of the population that seldom commit crime, law ***** *****ficials argue, would be an inefficient ***** of tax dollars and would do little to reduce or deter criminal activity. As one police chief maintains, "Racial pr*****iling is common sense" (Derbyshire 2001, 38).

***** the wake of numerous and widely-publicized abuses against minorities, many argue that ***** profiling ***** far from common *****. Instead, they are ***** race should not ***** a *****mining factor in whether a stop is initiated or how an encounter unfolds. Such opp*****nts of racial ***** claim that it is nothing more than racism and prejudice ***** unfairly *****s minorities and leads to police brutality ***** *****. New York City, Los Angeles, and Dade County, Florida, law enforcement officials have been criticized for a r*****sh of incidents of ***** brutality against minorities. Cases in which innocent ***** Americans ***** **********, harassed, and beaten because ***** being suspected of criminal ***** have led many opponents of racial profiling to dem***** an end to the practice. Carl Dix, a promoter of the 22nd Coalition Web site devoted to banning ***** profiling, maintains "***** past year has been marked by an upsurge in police brutality and murder by law ***** agents across the country" (Boyd 2003, 42).

Opponents of racial pr*****il*****g cite examples like ***** case of Alberta Sprull, an African American 57-year-old grandm***** residing in ***** York City. Police used a battering ram ***** break down Sprull's door, threw a stun grenade into her Harlem apartment, and handcuffed the woman ***** a snitch said ***** house was a drug rendezvous loc*****tion. Sprull died ***** a heart attack later that morning. Numerous such cases, including the shooting deaths of ***** than a few unarmed ***** *****, have created protest from civil liberties groups, minorities, and advocates ***** justice. Homeland Security measures