Racial Profiling and Law Enforcement Essay by Neatwriter

This paper explains that racial profiling is any police-initiated action based on race, ethnicity or national origin; rather than being based on the behavior of an individual or on information that a particular individual is or has been engaged in criminal activity. The author points out that racial profiling is one of the most pressing civil right issues of our time because it extends beyond the direct victim to affect negatively all persons of color of all generations and income levels, undermines the legitimacy of the criminal justice system and hinders effective policing in communities, which need it the most. The paper suggests that the solution to the racial profiling controversy may lie in the ability to control the discretion of the police such as (1) stops must be initiated for a legitimate reason, (2) must be predicted upon an appropriate legal or policy standard, (3) must be perceived to be effective in the pursuit of a legitimate law enforcement need and (4) the officer's attitudes and behaviors must be perceived by the violator to be legitimate.

Table of Contents
Violates Civil Rights
Undermines Police Community Relations
Unsound Policing
Impact on our Community
Impact on the Law Enforcement Profession
Controlling the Discretion of the Police
Control Consent Searches
Deploy Policing Resources on the Basis of Actual not Perceived Demand
Manage the Leader's Influence and Message
Provide Proactive Training and Education
Use Technology to Document the Policing Process
Actively Seek an Avenue for Changing the Current Law
Pass Prohibitive Statutes that Provide Criminal Penalties
Make the Police More Accountable