The Challenges of Racial Profiling One of the challenging and harsh aspects of racial profiling is the alienation that different communities feel from law enforcements. Whether it is done rationally or irrationally, there are situations will people will feel disrespected, mistrusted, and discriminated towards. With this it could lead to people cooperating less with law enforcement agencies or lead to an increase in crime because of the legal system (Thomsen, 2011, p. 106). Another challenge of racial profiling is stigmatization which effects the impression that the group who is being profiled by police officers, members of the same group, and members of other racial groups. Using the practice of profiling can provoke irrational attitudes towards
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1). Thomsen (2011) claims that “racial profiling is the use of statistical evidence concerning racial differences in crime rates in the attempt to increase the likelihood of apprehending offenders” (p. 90). Studies of the Boston Police Department illustrates that minorities are more likely to be searched by police during a traffic stop over whites and if the race of the motorist differs from the officer (Antonovics & Knight, 2009, p. 177). It is also important to keep in mind that to have valid data to support racial profiling, there must be data that distinguishes between police “using race” or “finding race” (Gold, 2003, p. 395). In 2001, President Bush asked the congress and the attorney general to develop procedures for collecting data from federal law enforcement agencies and how to assess the nature of the practices they used (Ward, 2002, p. 727). The Maryland State Police had collected data from January 1995 to June 2000 which identified that forty percent of motorists who were pulled over were African American and 4.4 percent were Hispanic. The 2000 census of Maryland describes the residents that there were twenty-eight percent African American and 4.3 percent were Hispanic (Gross & Barns, 2002, p.
1). Thomsen (2011) claims that “racial profiling is the use of statistical evidence concerning racial differences in crime rates in the attempt to increase the likelihood of apprehending offenders” (p. 90). Studies of the Boston Police Department illustrates that minorities are more likely to be searched by police during a traffic stop over whites and if the race of the motorist differs from the officer (Antonovics & Knight, 2009, p. 177). It is also important to keep in mind that to have valid data to support racial profiling, there must be data that distinguishes between police “using race” or “finding race” (Gold, 2003, p. 395). In 2001, President Bush asked the congress and the attorney general to develop procedures for collecting data from federal law enforcement agencies and how to assess the nature of the practices they used (Ward, 2002, p. 727). The Maryland State Police had collected data from January 1995 to June 2000 which identified that forty percent of motorists who were pulled over were African American and 4.4 percent were Hispanic. The 2000 census of Maryland describes the residents that there were twenty-eight percent African American and 4.3 percent were Hispanic (Gross & Barns, 2002, p.