Racial profiling in the black community refers to the practice of law enforcement making assumptions about criminal conduct based on race rather than criminal behavior. While some argue that racial profiling enhances protection of minorities, most research shows that it undermines trust in police and causes feelings of alienation among racial minorities. Racial profiling has been documented as disproportionately targeting African American males during traffic stops and searches. It can compromise social cohesion and discriminate against certain groups. Overall the negative impacts of racial profiling are considered to outweigh any potential benefits.

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Racial Profiling in the Black Community
Kaplan University

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Racial Profiling in the Black Community
Racial profiling in black communities refers to practices used by local authorities to make
conclusions about criminal conduct. The act of profiling differs from criminal aspect where law
enforcement agencies use behavioral elements to predict crime. In the criminal sense, police use
profiling and their experiences and traditions to discover criminals in the society. Racial profiling
rests on the same correlation with criminal classifications. However, the law authorities use race
rather than traits as indicators of criminal activities. Several researchers have documented about
the effects of racial profiling in the black community.
Some argue that racial profiling decreases confidence in police officers, compromises the
future and a diminished sense of native citizenship and alienation. Other persons argue that racial
profiling in the black community enhances the protection of minority persons. Racial profiling in
the black community has positive and adverse effects. However, the negative influences are
more than the merits of profiling. The paper seeks to analyze the impacts of racial profiling in the
black community.
Weatherspoon F. (2004). Racial Profiling of African-American Males: Stopped, Searched, and
Stripped of Constitutional Protection, 38 J. Marshall L. Rev. 439 (2004). Retrieved on
17th July 2015 from http://repository.jmls.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?
article=1352&context=lawreview
Racial profiling in societies particularly of the black community compromises the future
of the population and discriminated persons. The future of a nation depends on the ethical
conduct of its population (Weatherspoon, 2004). However, the increased cases of racial
discrimination negate the positive cohesion and existence between various persons in the
societies. Weatherspoon analyzes the racial profiling of the black minority groups in the

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American society. Black men in the American society went through different injustices
that include stoppage along the roads without prior notifications. According to
Weatherspoon (2004), the police in the United States stopped black persons and stripped
them of their belongings. The acts of profiling occurred due to the supreme law
weaknesses. Racial profiling in the black American society paints a picture on the
injustices people go through in the community. The article is essential in supporting the
thesis statement as it offers an insight into the problems faced by the black people in the
American society.
The concept of racial profiling requires an open examination to understand the positive
and adverse effects. By examining the opposing documents, it gives an insight into the
reasons people practice racial profiling in the black community.
Keller S. (2008). A Thought about Racial Profiling. Retrieved on 17th July 2015 from
http://publicreason.net/2008/06/20/a-thought-about-racial-profiling
According to Keller (2008), racial profiling in various societies happens for a purpose
because of the different issues the minority persons undergo in their lives. Racial
profiling occurs mostly in societies suspected of criminal activities. Security personnel
need to practice racial profiling to protect the law-abiding citizens. Attention to various
personalities of a particular race gives the security persons an upper hand in tackling
crime.
Racial profiling enhances the protection of minority persons by the majority in societies.
According to Keller (2008), minority individuals in communities face discrimination due
to their weaker bargaining power. More often, they face discrimination in resource
allocation and sharing the education facilities. Under certain circumstances, it is essential

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to profile minority groups to allow the police officers and government officials provide
protection. Keller (2008) contends that the adverse effects of racial profiling outweigh the
positives. His assumptions make the article reliable for the support of the thesis
statement. The article is important because it helps unravel the causes of racial profiling
and its effects on the society. It is, therefore, essential to use the Keller article to support
the analysis as it provides an open view to the problems of racial profiling.
Higgins, G., Gabbidon, S., & Vito, G. (2010). Exploring the influence of race relations
and public safety concerns on public support for racial profiling during traffic stops.
International Journal Of Police Science & Management, 12(1), 12-22.
doi:10.1350/ijps.2010.12.1.155
According to Higgins, Gabbidon & Vito (2010), ethnic and racial minorities are always
subjected to considerable inspection by the law enforcement officers. Blacks after and during the
slave era were targeted by the police officers. Currently, scholars label the idea of singling out
racial and ethnic minority groups, to be precise blacks as racial profiling. Individuals from the
Black community are thoroughly scrutinized by the police officers with the primary objective of
reducing and preventing crime. However, Higgins, Gabbidon & Vito (2010) points out that legal
lawsuit in 1990 commenced exposing the discriminatory actions of law enforcement personnel in
Florida, Maryland, and New Jersey. According to these lawsuits, it was evident that Blacks
compared to Whites were suspiciously stopped by police officers as they pursued drug barons.
As a consequence of the outrage from ethnic and racial minority groups regarding police
search, police agencies were expected to document the race of individuals they stopped and
searched as well as the reason for stopping them. From the police data, it was evident that their
existed racial disparity in search and stop data. For this reason, the above authors suggest the

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need for the government at the federal, local, and national level to channel their efforts towards
improving race relations. As a result of improved race relations, there will be a reduced
likelihood of the public not feeling that there is a wide spread of racial profiling. Equally,
researchers should channel their focus towards exploring race relations impact on the public
opinion regarding racial profiling.
The Leadership Conference Education Fund.(2015). The Case against Racial Profiling.
Retrieved from, http://www.civilrights.org/publications/reports/racial-profiling2011/the-case-
against-racial.html
According to the above article, racial profiling compels innocent individuals to tolerate
the burden of police officers so that they can prove their innocence. For instance, criminals, an
undocumented immigrant, and terrorist are often apprehended via racial profiling. However, law-
abiding racial minorities are also subjected to racial profiling as though they are undocumented
immigrants, terrorist, or criminals. Law enforcement agencies often fail to understand that racial
profiling results in emotional and behavioral consequences. Individuals from the minority
groups, especially those who are innocent are compelled to dress in a certain way or use specific
routes to shun police attention that might profile or stop them. In some instances, some choose to
reside in neighborhoods where they will not be noticed easily. Such actions result in residential
segregation. However, to counter racial profiling, the government is making use of a wide range
of measures such as counterterrorism.
Proponents of racial profiling contend that profiling is useful and necessary because it
plays an essential role in fighting street crime, combating terrorism, and enforcing migration
laws. On the contrary, proponents argue that racial profiling as a strategy to combat crime is

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flawed and increases the number of innocent individuals brought to the criminal justice system.
Equally, they argue that racial profiling is an obstacle towards jailing undocumented immigrants,
terrorists, and criminal because, in most cases, innocent individuals are caught by the law
enforcement agencies. Besides, opponents of racial profiling point out that as a tactic, it misuses
and diverts enforcement resources that can be utilized in enhancing the safety of the public.

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References
Higgins, G., Gabbidon, S., & Vito, G. (2010). Exploring the influence of race relations and
public safety concerns on public support for racial profiling during traffic stops.
International Journal Of Police Science & Management, 12(1), 12-22.
doi:10.1350/ijps.2010.12.1.155
Keller S. (2008). A Thought about Racial Profiling. Retrieved on 17th July 2015 from
http://publicreason.net/2008/06/20/a-thought-about-racial-profiling
The Leadership Conference Education Fund.(2015). The Case against Racial Profiling.
Retrieved from, http://www.civilrights.org/publications/reports/racial-profiling2011/the-
case-against-racial.html
Weatherspoon F. (2004). Racial Profiling of African-American Males: Stopped, Searched, and
Stripped of Constitutional Protection, 38 J. Marshall L. Rev. 439 (2004).
Retrieved on 17th July 2015 from http://repository.jmls.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?
article=1352&context=lawreview