The Roots of Racial Profiling

Why are police targeting minorities for traffic stops?

Gene Callahan & William Anderson from the August/September 2001 issue

(Page 4 of 4)

This Is Your Law Enforcement on Drugs

In the panic created by the drug war, our traditional liberties have been eroded. Rather than regarding case probability as a necessary component of probable cause for searches or seizures, the American law enforcement system has now come to accept class probability as sufficient justification for many intrusions.

Unfortunately, the current protests against racial profiling are not addressing the root causes of the practice. Politicians, eager to please voters, have created potentially greater problems by trying to suppress the symptoms. As John Derbyshire points out, the laws rushed onto the books to end racial profiling result in severe obstacles to police officers attempting to investigate serious crimes. He notes, "In Philadelphia, a federal court order now requires police to fill out both sides of an 8-1/2-by-11 sheet on every citizen contact." Unless our solution to this problem addresses its cause, we will be faced with the choice of either hindering important police work or treating some of our citizens, based on characteristics (race, age, and so on) completely beyond their control, in a manner that is patently unfair.

If we really wish to end the scourge of racial profiling, we must address its roots: drug laws that encourage police to consider members of broad groups as probable criminals. We must redirect law enforcement toward solving specific, known crimes using the particular evidence available to them about that crime. Whatever one's opinion on drug legalization may be, it's easy to agree that the state of seizure law in America is reprehensible, even given last year's minor federal reforms. It should be obvious that there's something nutty about a legal system that assumes suspects in murder, robbery, and rape cases are innocent until a trial proves otherwise, but assumes that a landscaper carrying some cash is guilty of drug trafficking.

Drugs, prohibitionists commonly point out, can damage a user's mind. They apparently can have the same effect on the minds of law enforcement officials.

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Jagwar|1.23.10 @ 5:54PM|#

You mother fucks always discriminate us and you will soon see

Pingback| 1.25.10 @ 1:01PM

State Senate panel approves (illegal) immigration bill - Illegal Immigration - Page 1 links to this page. Here’s an excerpt:

…no infringement on their rights. oh so there is no racial profiling with police. I see tell that to 30 million americans. I hope you have something better than this as your argument. The Roots of Racial Profiling - Reason Magazine Racial Profiling Racial Profiling Statistics Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Detailed information about all U.S.…

Pingback| 1.25.10 @ 2:30PM

…that to 30 million americans. I hope you have something better than this as your argument. Just because you have an opinion does not make it so....back up your point. But you can't The Roots of Racial Profiling - Reason Magazine Racial Profiling Racial Profiling Statistics Last edited by organick; Today at 12:10 PM.. Today, 12:09 PM organick Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2008 1,708 posts, read…

HM|2.16.10 @ 1:14AM|#

This is not fair. Each personhas his or her personality,do not judge from the race. This is streotype.

Mubaraka |2.16.10 @ 1:14AM|#

I think tgis is happened a lot in America beacuse tgey think that black people are bad. although, i see that is wrong beaucse the police officr must check before give the judgment and see why this man was driving very fast ( the reason)

Mohamed Salem |2.16.10 @ 1:15AM|#

They should respect and deal with all of them fair even they are from diffrent race.

F. A|2.16.10 @ 1:16AM|#

The police should deal with all people equally. Because, differences dealing between people causes many problem in the country.

ECAE|2.16.10 @ 1:17AM|#

This article have many difficult vocabulary, so not everyone can read it.
The reader will find some difficulties to read this article, when they will start reading they will face issues that will change their mind in complete reading this article.
If the article was written in a simple vocabulary it will ba great.

Afari Alernast|2.16.10 @ 1:17AM|#

It is wrong way or stopping the pepole beacuse we should not gudge the peopole by there color. And should thier police to del with pepole equal =)

Jood|2.16.10 @ 1:18AM|#

Police job request to respect each one and deal with all in same way.

Everyone are same that dosen't deponds on the cultuers or the countries all we are same.

Nuha|2.16.10 @ 1:19AM|#

The policemen should not judge from the the first look. The man who drives like a drug trader could look cute, but they hide what they feel.

F. A.|2.16.10 @ 4:08AM|#

all countries have racial profiling but with some education people are trying to be more open.

sh|2.16.10 @ 4:14AM|#

All people are equal and police must respect all. there is no different between people in their race

sho sho|2.16.10 @ 4:14AM|#

It is not fair to discriminate people by their faces or their skin because all of us are human and we have different faces and different skin. SO, we should treat people equally.

Eiman|2.16.10 @ 4:19AM|#

The personality of a person is not related to the external appearence. Sometimes people are surprising and not what we expect. So, this is not fair.

Super Junior |2.16.10 @ 4:20AM|#

Our Islam saves our dignity by prohibiting this issue .. that why i proud i am Muslim =D
thanks Allah

Dong Hae

AA|2.16.10 @ 4:20AM|#

IN MY OPINION THERE AER NO DIIFRENT BETWEEN WHITE AND BLACK PEOPLE.DIFFRENCE DEALING CAUSES MANY PROBLEMS IN THE COUNTRY.COLOR IS NOT THE BASIC THING TO JUDGE THEM BECAUSE EVRYONE HAS THE SAME RULES IN THE COUNTY AND ALSO THEY HAS OPPERUNITY TO DO THE SAME THINGS.

Al muharrami -|2.16.10 @ 4:20AM|#

I think they should make a balnce between the white and black person.
Also, they must deal with them equally and both of them are same, same and same^^
We must judge the person from her or his work and effort, NOT from the race.

h|3.2.10 @ 10:21PM|#

Is everyone on here illiterate, foreign, or 7 years old? Look at the grammar mistakes. There is spell check on the comment space you know....

First off, this is a matter of U.S. affairs, not foreign affairs.
Racial profiling helps aid in preventing crimes and I am sure these radical stories like stated in the begging of the article are not "daily occurrences on our nation's highways".

To the author: Stop being so sensitive and radical. Those who used profiling correctly actually used logic, not race. Race has a factor in this logic and therefore some feel it is a racial attack.

|9.29.10 @ 7:18PM|#

Good job calling out everyone of spell check "h". However, spell check does not fix all literate issues. Such as when you wanted to say beginning, but rather said "begging".
To the rest of your comment their are several studies that have been preformed that show when officers do not use race as a means to determine whether or not someone is a suspect and instead use reasons they would have to use if we were all one same color such as behavior, their findings of drugs and related materials were 300% higher. Not to mention the fact that if allowed to act mainly off race several whites like myself would be able to be overlooked even if they are carrying drugs or even perhaps going to blow up a building. Timothy McVeigh almost alluded police due to the fact that the were acting on a profile given to them that depicted the man as that of Arab ethnicity.

h|3.2.10 @ 10:27PM|#

[Quoted from:
Jagwar|1.23.10 @ 5:54PM|#

You mother fucks always discriminate us and you will soon see]

Threats....Good job in proving my point. Nice hostility.

nfl jerseys|11.14.10 @ 8:28PM|#

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