Police Profiling

Racial Profiling and the disproportionate use of police force are controversial political issues. Debates on racial bias in policing continue to reverberate across the country making headlines, aside from the importance of the debate on racial profiling and police use of force, such events create intergroup conflict, foreground stereotypes and trigger discriminatory responses. A serious issue in today’s society is the rising tension between the police force and the community which has developed through racial profiling and police brutality. In New York City, the controversial “stop, question, and frisk” policy was endorsed by some as essential for reducing crime rates (MacDonald 2001) and challenged by others as racially biased with a heavy burden placed on affected individuals and communities (Fagan et al. 2010). Racial profiling is a form of discrimination by which law enforcement uses a person’s race or ethnicity as a key reason to engage in various forms of enforcement. Profiling violates basic human rights, undermines trust in public institutions, and has severe consequences for the victims and for society at large. The

With cameras and video recording devices more easily accessible, documentation of these incidents has become more frequent. Racial profiling is not a new terminology, yet it is something that occurs daily in the United States, becoming almost a normality. Law enforcement is meant to create a sense of security and safety, yet there seems to be a growing mistrust and anti-cop mentality, especially among minorities. Cases such as the infamous Rodney King scandal, or the most recent murder of Michael Brown, only give communities further reason to be wary of police. With numerous incidents of police misconduct and use of excessive force that results in the death of an innocent victim, you can no longer ignore this