Racial Profiling and Discrimination

Racial Profiling and Discrimination

Racial Profiling
Darlene Swanagan
Comm 215
Professor: Sylvia Soland
University Phoenix
January 12, 2009

What is racial profiling? Racial profiling is the practice of police targeting minorities based on how they look. Discrimination on any plane especially dealing with identity undermines the human rights and freedoms that this country fought for since the Revolutionary War. Our Forefathers wrote the Preamble to the Constitution which set the mark for how this country should live.
Some theories suggest that the reason for this problem is that law enforcement officials determine that a person could be a criminal based on what they look like, wear or their religion. Racial profiling is discrimination in the simplest form. It can undermine the criminal justice system. Racial profiling assumes that any individual from a certain race or ethnicity will be involved in criminal activities. The opportunity the police have to racial profile is becoming a serious issue. There are laws that are should protect the citizens from racial profiling. I would like to see the laws used properly and protect those that are profiled. The law that governs the police officers should step up and be more adamant in reprimanding the police that have racial profiled. The local government should use the laws passed by President Bush in 2001 to give protection from racial profiling.
There are no easy answers to solve racial profiling. Guidelines have been designed to get to the heart the problem. The first step is to hold officers responsible for their erroneous procedures. An officer that uses too much intensity, he should be sent before a review board. Just as certain laws have levels of punishment so should racial profiling. The review board must let the police know that racial profiling will not be tolerated. When the police department takes an active stance on complaints of excessive force, then the citizens will start to see the police in a different light. The...

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