Running head: RACIAL PROFILING

WHY RACIAL PROFILING IN LAW ENFORCEMENT IS INEFFECTIVE

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Running head: RACIAL PROFILING

Martin Luther King had a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit together at the table of brotherhood, live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character. These words of a visionary and an activist, Martin Luther King, point out the pain-staking effects that racial discrimination not only on the American society but on the entire human race. Racism is a vice that the society has tried to stump out but unluckily enough is still dealing with. It stretches its arms right from the developing nation into the heart of the developed worlds. Its poison has found a way to the core of our societal norms, our justice system and most notably our political systems. Politicians play this card more diligently and better than most. It is a sharp tool they use to divide and conquer.

The sad story of Trayvon Martin says it all, a 17 year-old African American boy shot dead in cold blood by George Zimmerman (white) for the simple reason that he looked suspicious wore a hooded sweatshirt and walked slowly. Outrageous does not begin to explain the depth of this injustice, however angle one chooses to look at it from. As if this is not enough the response of the Sanford Police who had received Zimmermans 911 call indicating the above allegations (he looked suspicious, wore a hooded sweatshirt and was walking slowly) goes to show just how flawed the system of justice is, and how inclined it is to favor a certain group of people in this case and countless others-white people.

Moreover, in the 90s there was the case of Maryland police against African- American motorists along the highways. Eventually both parties agreed the importance of treating motorists equally irrespective of race with dignity under law since racial profiling is illegal and

Running head: RACIAL PROFILING

demoralizes safety in the wider society. Racial profiling is politically incorrect, racially insensitive as it is a destructive, inefficient and ultimately ineffective law enforcement technique. Should any member of a racial group be profiled by law enforcement just because statistics indicate that the group is more likely to commit certain crimes? Certainly not as this method of combating, terrorism, drug trafficking and crime in general has more often than not proven ineffective and a huge hindrance in legal investigations.

An ACLU lawsuit unearths that police data indicated that while 73 percent of suspects pulled over on a 1-95 in a period of two years (1995-1997) show that black suspects are no more likely to actually have drugs or illegal weapons in their cars than white suspects. Racial profiling may give the police enforcers more suspects, but in truth research shows that the more time spent catching suspects based on their racial profiles, reduces their effectiveness in doing their job. The human rights organization cites a 1999 survey by the Department of justice to make the same point as Amnesty international which argues that, the use of racial profiling to stop drug couriers on highways has proven to be ineffective. Any serious student of history knows that racism is always beneath the surface of most political maneuvers that are made. As a matter of fact, no African American, or African can avoid the legacy of 500 years of slavery, racism and oppression. Political leaders, who happen to be the majority policy makers, need to understand that racial profiling is wrong and that it says a lot about our system of law enforcement, and the value put on human dignity. In the end racial profiling is not an infective strategy for law enforcement because it regularly snaps law enforcers the limited resources that could be used more efficiently. Minority races understand the frustration being discriminated based on their ethnic origin or race. Nevertheless,

Running head: RACIAL PROFILING

racial profiling is infective in law enforcement as it reduces public confidence and makes it ineffective for the affected populations to volunteer with law enforcers policing efforts.

Running head: RACIAL PROFILING

References Civil Liberties. Arguments against racial profiling. Retrieved from http://www.civilliberty.about.com MLK. Martin Luther King Jr. Speeches. Retrieved from http://www. Mlkonline.net Race Relations. A Case Against Racial Profiling. Retrieved from http://www. Racerelations.about.com