Racial Profiling Pros And Cons

Words: 518
Pages: 3

Questioning or assuming someone is a criminal or possible terrorist solely based upon their race with respect to law enforcement officials is a complex social/civil rights issue. "Racial Profiling" involves the singling out/ targeted by a law enforcement official simply based upon the color to your skin, physical features, religion, and race (ACLU, 2015). According to the Bill of Rights, the 4th Amendment in the U.S. constitution protects individuals against illegal search and seizures; additionally, the fourteenth Amendment in the U.S. constitution makes racial profiling illegal (Bill of Rights, 1791). The fourth and the fourteenth Amendment state that as American individuals have the right to the protection of civil rights. Why have law enforcement …show more content…
However, the focus around racial profiling is centered on race.
The benefits outweigh the risks associate with racial profiling because if profiling is conducted appropriately it can be an effective tool for law enforcement individuals/agencies. For example, by focusing on behavior, or suspicious individuals, in turn prevents terrorist attacks, and strengthening national security. Since the terrorist attack on September 11, 2001, racial profiling has become a social/civil rights issue(s). After 9/11, claims centered around Middle Eastern individuals due to War on Terror, and so-called efforts to fight terrorism. However, not all Middle Eastern individuals are terrorists. As David A. Harris (2003) writes, “it's like looking for a needle in a haystack, but adding more hay” (Harris, 2006, pg 6). According to Flying While Arab (Or Was It Muslim? Or Middle Eastern?) (2005), regarding “war on terrorism” there are there three reasons as to why this may be the case. First, focusing on specific race draws attention away from behavior, which is the most reliable predictor of criminal activity. Next, racial profiling dramatically increases the pool of