Racial Profiling: Predictors of Public Perception
Police interaction with citizens is often the most frequent form of contact. Racial bias by police organizations has become a controversial social issue. This bias is often presented as racial profiling. Racial profiling is described as the practice of using race or ethnicity rather than actual suspicion as a pretext to stop, question or search minorities. While the utility of this practice is debatable, there can be adverse effects on the minority citizens that are unfairly drawn into the criminal justice system. Accurately measuring the level of profiling presents many methodological issues. Often police organizations rely on the public’s perception as a measure of police efficacy and …show more content…
Although racial profiling is against minorities, police often profile white citizens if they are observed in an area largely populated by minorities. Glover explains that the theory behind this typed of profiling is based on the premise of a racially ordered society. This study found that officers freely admit to profiling whites in minority neighborhoods. Conversely, the same officers would not freely admit to profiling minorities in white neighborhoods. Glover posits that officers view whites in minority neighborhoods as being less criminal that the reverse situation of a minority in a white …show more content…
What may appear to be profiling or excessive force may in fact be a law enforcement practice falling well within legal guidelines. Despite this, for a citizen perception is reality. A study by Wilson Wilson and thou sought to understand the perceptions of individuals with a knowledge of proper police procedures. A survey of African American officers was performed to determine if these officers believed that profiling occurred in their agency and if the profiling was condoned by supervisors and administrators. Data indicated that almost 90% of these officers believed that racial profiling was practiced within their department, and 70% believed that this practice was condoned. The study also discovered an inverse relationship between rank and the perception of profiling within the agency. This study failed to determine the level of participation of African American officers in racial profiling
Police interaction with citizens is often the most frequent form of contact. Racial bias by police organizations has become a controversial social issue. This bias is often presented as racial profiling. Racial profiling is described as the practice of using race or ethnicity rather than actual suspicion as a pretext to stop, question or search minorities. While the utility of this practice is debatable, there can be adverse effects on the minority citizens that are unfairly drawn into the criminal justice system. Accurately measuring the level of profiling presents many methodological issues. Often police organizations rely on the public’s perception as a measure of police efficacy and …show more content…
Although racial profiling is against minorities, police often profile white citizens if they are observed in an area largely populated by minorities. Glover explains that the theory behind this typed of profiling is based on the premise of a racially ordered society. This study found that officers freely admit to profiling whites in minority neighborhoods. Conversely, the same officers would not freely admit to profiling minorities in white neighborhoods. Glover posits that officers view whites in minority neighborhoods as being less criminal that the reverse situation of a minority in a white …show more content…
What may appear to be profiling or excessive force may in fact be a law enforcement practice falling well within legal guidelines. Despite this, for a citizen perception is reality. A study by Wilson Wilson and thou sought to understand the perceptions of individuals with a knowledge of proper police procedures. A survey of African American officers was performed to determine if these officers believed that profiling occurred in their agency and if the profiling was condoned by supervisors and administrators. Data indicated that almost 90% of these officers believed that racial profiling was practiced within their department, and 70% believed that this practice was condoned. The study also discovered an inverse relationship between rank and the perception of profiling within the agency. This study failed to determine the level of participation of African American officers in racial profiling