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Arguments for and against racial profiling
Subject: Sociology, Institute: University of California
Racial profiling means targeting or suspecting people on basis of their race or ethnicity
that may be possible culprits due to assumed or observed characteristics of a group. The
individual may not have done any suspicious actions but may be suspected only on basis of his
or her race. Racial profiling has been alleged to have been used by law enforcement agencies in
the name of propensity. There are arguments supporting and opposing surveillance on basis of
propensity rather than race. We would analyze two articles, one in support of profiling and other
against it.
In an article titled “L.A. Metro cops are in a bind: Avoid racial profiling while also
fighting crime” published in Los Angeles Times on 21st April 2019, the author Cindy Chang
quotes police officers in support of profiling based on propensity. The police officers make the
following points: a) They judge people on basis of their experience. Even if majority of people
being searched are blacks but they have no racial bias. b) If there are more black gangs on the
streets then there are more chances that black youths would be suspected. c) The effectiveness of
police force may come down in absence of propensity profiling. The police cannot search every
individual but people of certain age groups belonging to certain backgrounds. d) Data on number
of searches done on black, Hispanic or white individuals do not prove anything. The number of
searches done on Hispanics do not show abnormally higher instances compared to their
population. e) Law enforcement agencies across the world uses propensity analysis to track
suspicious people. The propensity analysis may be done using analytics or experience.
