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The Pros And Cons Of Racial Profiling In Law Enforcement

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The Pros And Cons Of Racial Profiling In Law Enforcement
The Pros of Racial Profiling in Law Enforcement

An Argument Essay
Presented to
Mrs. Jaeger of
Bonita High School

In Partial Fulfillment
Of the requirements for English II Honors

By
McKayla Antrim
2015
McKayla Antrim
Mrs. Jaeger
English II Honors
3 March 2015
Racial Profiling in Law Enforcement The image of hundreds people jumping to their deaths out of windows 1,000 feet of the ground, to the masses of people chaotically running through the streets will never be forgotten to the people affected by terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. Ever since that catastrophic day in history, the push for safer national security measures has been crucial in making sure an attack never occurs again; one of these measures being racial
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The United States Department of Justice requires that “…federal law enforcement personnel must use every legitimate tool to prevent future attacks, protect our Nation’s borders, and deter those who would cause devastating harm to our nation and its people…” (“Should Racial”). One of these tools in police work includes racial profiling, which helps to protect and prevent crime in our nation. It is logical to agree that “If an officer sees someone acting in a manner that suggests a crime is afoot; he or she has an obligation to stop and question that person” (Bloomberg). Preventing crime is a police officer’s job, which is why the nation uses this strategy. They are here to keep the nation’s citizens safe. “Without the use of profiling and FBI informants, they would have never succeeded” (“Should Racial”) in their attack on the United States. Racial profiling by law enforcement is strictly for the benefit of society so that they can effectively protect and provide security. The nation’s citizens need to understand that without measures like racial profiling, people are not going to be …show more content…
Often times “…police officers rely on information that may be coincidental to skin color, but not dependent on it” (“Should Racial”). It is these officers’ job to look for suspects who happen to have a certain characteristic to identify by. Therefore, using racial profiling in this aspect is helpful and most definitely constitutional. When an officer is looking for a suspect, “…adding his knowledge of the race of major trafficking groups to the mix is both legitimate and not overly burdensome on law-abiding minorities” (“Should Racial”). By having an understanding of an ethnic group’s background, police officers can more effectively identify suspects, reducing the likelihood that suspects wouldn’t be charged with a crime. It is necessary that “If law enforcement officers are to identify and take action against violators, any information to assist them in being more effective is crucial” (“History and”). Racial profiling can be the key for officers to effectively identify violators. The use of racial profiling in law enforcement makes society safer because it makes it easier for officers to identify a suspect with their race as a

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