Arguments Against Racial Profiling

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Racial Profiling is an issue that has been present in society for many years. Not only is it a problem but also racial profiling targets certain people based off of preconceived notions carried by other law enforcement officers around the nation. Research studies conducted in various areas of the United States came to different conclusions about if racial profiling is a prominent issue among law enforcement issue. The different research studies conducted show the extent of racial profiling among agencies, while others proved that it is not an issue among the law enforcement agencies examined in the different studies. Racial Profiling studies have been conducted numerous times in which the research yields different results depending on the …show more content…
Gross and Barnes (2002) conducted a study which examined the Maryland State Police along I-95. 2146 searches were examined during this five-year study from 1995-2000. Most of these searches were conducted under the suspicion that drugs were in the suspect’s vehicle. The findings of the research showed just as Alpert (2007) that the State Police pulled over more Hispanics and African Americans due to the fact that the police believed their was a high statistical evidence that pointed to these two races yield a higher rate for a drug bust than white drivers. This study also helped elaborate the point that Troopers used race as a large factor when conducting searches for drugs because the police felt that it is a more reliable factor and has a strong correlation in determining whether that individual is carrying drugs on them. Higgins, Jennings, Jordan, and Gabbidon (2011) conducted a study in trying to gain a better understanding as to why racial profiling is occurring and why police officers use race as such a large factor when determining whether to stop an individual. The findings of the study concluded that African Americans are 2.54 times more likely to be stopped when compared to white individuals. This