Policing and Criminal Profiling

Paper Summary:

The paper explains the fundamental legal problem with police profiling but illustrates when profiling is certainly a legitimate policing tool. The paper then explores the problem of racial and ethnic profiling from the perspective of counterterrorism. The paper explains that the justification for infringing on the due process and equal protection rights of Islamic individuals is that there is a logical basis behind the increased focus on such people.

Outline:
Background and History of the Problem
The Fundamental Problem with Police Profiling
Profiling as a Legitimate Policing Tool
Racial Profiling and Domestic Terrorism in the 21st Century
Conclusion

From the Paper:

"Due process of law is one of the most fundamental concepts in American constitutional law. The right of citizens to live free from the threat of arbitrary or partial enforcement of law by government authorities was foremost on the minds of the Founding Fathers (Dershowitz 2002), inspired by the Colonial experience under British rule preceding the War of Independence. It is expressed in the Fifth Amendment to the Constitution with respect to the federal government and, since 1914, has been applied to the states through the Equal Protection Clause of Fourteenth Amendment (Friedman 2005)."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Caldero, M., Crank, J. (2004) Police Ethics The Corruption of the Noble Cause 2nd ed. Anderson Publishing.
• Dershowitz, A. (2002) Shouting Fire: Civil Liberties in a Turbulent Age. New York: Little Brown & Co.
• Friedman, L. (2005) A History of American Law. New York: Touchstone
• Halbert, T., Ingulli, E. (2000) Law & Ethics in the Business Environment 3rd ed.Cincinnati, OH: West Legal Studies
• Shusta, R., Levine, D., Harris, P. (2007) Multicultural Law Enforcement: Strategies for Peacekeeping in a Diverse Society. Princeton, NJ: Prentice Hall.

More papers on Policing and Criminal Profiling:

• Term Paper # 11205 : "Forensic Psychology and Criminal Profiling"
• Term Paper # 99984 : "Criminal Profiling"
• Research Paper # 128745 : "Criminal profiling"

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