The Pros And Cons Of Racial Profiling

Once again in the United States of America, another police officer has killed another civilian. The specific case that I saw was the incident with Mr. Terrence Crutcher. As many news stations reported he was walking with his hands up and putting them onto his car before being fatally shot by a police officer. Something that I find particularly disgusting with this incident is how the police officers were talking about Mr. Crutcher. A police officer was quoted saying, “ that looks like a bad dude too, could be on something.” As discussed in class the role of the police is usually to protect and maintain social order. One of the many consequences from yet another police officer fatally shooting an unarmed civilian is creating civil protest and a reason for unrest. In this situation, the officers created more national protest and a

Racial profiling is an example of how police officers are abusing their powers. As discussed in class the act of targeting an individual of a specific race, based on a stereotype is racial profiling. Racial profiling occurs when a police officer stops, questions, arrests, and/or searches someone based on the individual’s race or identity (FIND CITATION). Although many police forces across the US have argued that this has led to a higher success rate in finding guns, narcotics and the breaking up of police gangs, it has also lead to an increase of police on black violence, such as in Terrence Crutcher’s case. Examples of racial profiling that have lead to a couple of African American deaths in the hands of the police would be the term “driving while black.” Officers will stop African American’s for minor traffic violations that Caucasian drivers would not necessarily have been pulled over for. Going back to the case of Mr. Crutcher who was shot, while standing outside his car is a prime example of police