Racial Profiling Problems

The NIJ website clearly defines racial profiling and it also explains how some officers might have the tendency of creating a specific “profile” based on characteristics other than behavior. In other words, officers might have the temptation to believe that only a specific group of people will commit most of the crimes in a certain area. For instance, in some urban vicinities there is a vast majority of minorities and officers might start to stereotype erroneously. Officers might find that when making arrests the suspects are predominantly black or Hispanic or any characteristic that is not related to the crime committed. Consequently, racial profiling in law enforcement practices can trigger several issues and concerns with the community (NJI, 2013).

Problems can be easily identified as some agencies have had to face investigations and lawsuits due to civil rights violations. Racial profiling problems can cause a negative effect by deteriorating the dynamic relation between police and the community

and making police work even harder. When officers have an established profile, it definitely becomes an ineffective practice as this impression just deviates police focus from potential criminals. Regardless of the agencies efforts to cease discrimination some officers may not even realize that need to pay attention to factual menaces and clues. In fact, discrimination is an ineffective strategy that results in a deviation from what is really significant to accomplish police goals (NJI, 2013).
Several researchers have attempted to answer this question: does racial profiling really exist or is it only a perception?

Of course, finding a resolution to this dilemma is not an easy task. Meanwhile, research has confirmed that black drivers are more likely to be stopped by a traffic officer than a white driver. Unfortunately, quite a few factors affect the ability to measure traffic stops data correctly such as a differences in driving patterns which means that representation of minority drivers can vary depending on location. Secondly, the differences in exposure to the police mean that minority drivers live where there is higher police patrol and could be the basis for discrimination. Thirdly, the differences in offending refer to the fact that research reflects that a minority group has a higher or lower tendency to commit a certain type of violation. All these factors can influence officers in a way that cause biased and discriminatory assumptions (NJI,

2013).
At the same time, research has shown interesting results as certain ethnic groups could be used to predict attitudes towards officers. A few researchers suggest finding the motive to initiate the stop is very important as well as observing what transpires during this process. In addition, when there is a concern for bias then other aspects must be taking into consideration in a traffic stop incident like the length of the stop, the decision to mention it, search choice and the use of force. Moreover, investigators are required to use different methods and gather distinct information depending on the variables used to study. For instance, discrimination studies can be focused on finding evidence in the police department as a whole or a specific section of the department or a few officers showing these signs (NJI, 2013).
Researchers have attempted numerous methods to evaluate the legitimacy of the racial bias allegations. In some studies, examiners decided to use “race-blind” items like speed-triggered cameras and stoplight enforcement cameras strategically placed to catch lawbreakers in a fair manner. In Georgia, another group of evaluators observed the how officers operate when they decide to make a traffic stop. It was concluded that officers did not make decisions to stop drivers based on race only. Furthermore, social scientists believe that if racial bias exists, it might only affecting some of the officers in a unit and a tracking method should be implemented to compare and determine the reason why this officer is arresting more minority drivers. In Ohio, a research found that there was no significant differences in the length of the stop and search rates between black drivers and white drivers. The only inconsistency found was a result of location, time and the reason for the stop instead racial discrimination (NJI, 2013).