The Evidence of Racial Profiling: Interpreting Documented and Unofficial Sources

Abstract

This article summarizes the major cases that established the existence of racial profiling in the American public debate. The authors distinguish the widening split between the narrow, case-bound definition acknowledged by the police and the broader definition asserted by minority communities, which see the practice as widespread, affecting all areas of police-community contacts. The fact patterns of incidents substantiated on the public record set the stage for a discussion of the expected efficacy of the palliative measures now being undertaken in the political domain.The term racial profiling embodies a widespread belief that minorities are disproportionately singled out by the American police for scrutiny on a class basis-equating race or ethnicity with criminality-rather than on the basis of individual suspicion. Allegations that "police [use] traffic offenses as an excuse to stop and conduct roadside investigations of Black drivers and their cars, usually to look for drugs" (Harris, 1999) are enshrined in the term DWB, "Driving While Black" or Brown. Media accounts of racial discrimination in Dearborn, Michigan ("Racism Charges

Studying traffic stop encounters

“…Rather, the authors sought to illustrate how the interpretation of key variables in the racial profiling debate may be modified through more complex examinations of these interactions. Although a limited number of agencies exhibited clear impropriety in the conduct of their officers, most research failed to conclusively establish that racial profiling was a real and significant social issue (Buerger & Farrell, 2002). This study supported that some race-based disparities were evident in the study community.…”

Lines and shadows: Perceptions of racial profiling and the Hispanic experience

“…This was especially true in the academic arena where there was a proliferation of studies seeking to empirically determine whether this perceived phenomenon was legitimately occurring. In this regard, several studies examined official data on the race, age, and gender demographics of persons stopped by police relative to their representation in the population (driving or census) and/or relative to level of involvement in criminal or traffic offending Fagan & Davies, 2000;Meehan & Ponder, 2002;Spitzer, 1999;Walker, 2001;Zingraff et al, 2000), though they did not and probably could not conclusively establish the existence of racial profiling (Buerger & Farrell, 2002;Reitzel & Piquero, in press). Although insightful, most of the prior racial profiling literature, with a few exceptions, remained limited because studies typically only compared Blacks to Whites or categorized ethnic minorities under a non-White umbrella.…”

Citizen perceptions of the legitimacy of traffic stops

“…Many researchers have argued that criminal law is biased towards minorities and the poor (Entman & Rojecki, 2000;Robinson, 2005). Such "innocent bias" arises from the use of police discretion, police profiling, deployment patterns of police, and the war on drugs (Buerger & Farrell, 2002;Engel & Calnon, 2004;Gabbidon, 2003;Harris, 2002;Lamberth, 1998;Lundman & Kaufman, 2003;Mastrofski, 2004;Novak, 2004;Ramirez, McDevitt, & Farrell, 2000;Ridgeway, 2006;Russell, 2001;Weitzer & Tuch, 2002).…”