Pros And Cons Of Racial Profiling

Is Racial Profiling a Necessary Police Practice? Racial Profiling, the act of using race or ethnicity as grounds for suspecting someone of having committed an offense, is a debatable topic because of controversial decisions law enforcement officers carry out due to suspicion based on race. Those who support racial profiling believe it is logical, low cost, and effective. Those who oppose racial profiling believe it is strongly discriminatory and a violation of The United States Constitution. There are numerous supporting and opposing arguments following the recent incidents involving police officers and members of minority groups which has sparked the topic of racial profiling. Lawmakers should ban the practice of using racial profiling against

Those who support the act of racial profiling believe that it is an efficient way for authorities “ [to] fight the threat of terrorist attacks in the United States” (“Racial Profiling Pros and Cons”). Many politicians believe that using Racial Profiling towards Muslims is useful since, “Most terrorist groups reside in Southeast Asia and the Middle East[,] [and] combine this with the majority of terrorist groups being associated with religious fanaticism as well as tending to be between the ages of 18 and 30 and male” (Lombardo). Some can assume that a 23 year old male hailing from Southeast Asia, traveling alone, wearing religious paraphernalia may be associated with these groups and potentially cause major problem. This causes officials or law enforcements to frequently “stop and frisk” Muslims because they are more likely to be tied to certain crimes that profilers are searching for, because officials discover that it is more reasonable. In some cases, Racial Profiling is low cost because, “when law enforcement is looking for a specific criminal, knowing what type of person fits the profile of the criminal they are looking for, it can save resources” (“Racial Profiling Pros and Cons”). In conclusion, supporters of racial profiling believe that it can be

Constitution, which states that all men are created equal in the eyes of the law (Racial Profiling). Those who oppose racial profiling believe it is clearly illegal due to these violations promised to a citizen of the United States, and should not be used as a tactic in police work. Research shows that people of color are targeted at higher rates for small crimes than white people, (Natarajan) which is thought to “perpetuate negative racial stereotypes” in American society and that these stereotypes “impair our efforts to maintain a fair and just society.” (Federal, misguided, and they). The opposition’s argument is based off the idea that assuming those of one race or religion are more likely to participate in unlawful practices than members of another race or religion should not be involved in the decisions made by law enforcement