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 2 . The driver and passengers are questioned about things that do not relate to the traffic violation
3 . The driver and passengers are ordered out of the vehicle 4 . The officers visually check all observable parts of the vehicle