2.1.1 LEARNING OBJECTIVE: The student will be able to identify logical
and social arguments against racial profiling.
A. There are appropriate reasons for unusual traffic stops (suspicious behavior,
the officer's intuition, MOs, etc.), but police work must stop short of cultural
stereotyping and racism
B. Racial profiling would result in criminal arrests, but only because it would
target all members of a race randomly – the minor benefits would be far
outweighed by the distrust and anger towards law enforcement by minorities and
the public as a whole
C. Racial profiling is self-fulfilling bad logic: if you believed that minorities
committed more crimes, then you might look for more minority criminals, and find
them in disproportionate numbers
D. Inappropriate traffic stops generate suspicion and antagonism towards officers
and make future stops more volatile – a racially-based stop today can throw
suspicion on tomorrow's legitimate stop
E. By focusing on race, you would not only be harassing innocent citizens, but
overlooking criminals of all races and backgrounds – it is a waste of law
enforcement resources
3.0 RACIAL PROFILING VERSUS REASONABLE SUSPICION
3.1 UNIT GOAL: The student will be able to identify the elements of both
inappropriate and appropriate traffic stops.
3.1.1 LEARNING OBJECTIVE: The student will be able to identify elements
of a racially motivated traffic stop.
A. Most race-based complaints come from vehicle stops, often since race is used
as an inappropriate substitute for drug courier profile elements
B. "DWB" – "Driving While Black" – a nickname for the public perception that a
Black person may be stopped solely because of their race (especially with the
suspicion that they are a drug
courier), often extended to other minority groups or activities as well ("Driving
While Brown," "Flying While Black," etc.)
C. A typical traffic stop resulting from racial profiling
1. The vehicle is stopped on the basis of a minor or contrived traffic violation
which is used as a pretext for closer inspection of the vehicle, driver, and
passengers