The Influence Of Officer Smith's Decision-Making

Yes, I believe that Officer Smith’s first glance at the African American female influenced her decision making during her stop. What it sounds like, from the reading is that Officer Smith racially profiled the driver meaning that she had discriminated against the female driver based on her race and appearance. And by doing so this may have caused her to try and find any reason to pull the female driver over. I believe that this is true because if she was only preforming a routine traffic stop because the drivers tail light was broken or even if she thought that this vehicle was used in the killing of police officer she would not have stated “Another one of those people we need to get off the streets.” This statement alone would make anyone who has common sense believe that Officer Smith may be raciest even if that isn’t the case.
This gives her the ability to pull over the driver if not for any other reason but because of the fact that she thought the “vehicle code” had been violated, depending on what the state entails is a violation. After the officer pulled over the gold Pontiac she had reasonable doubt that the car had been the suspected car of a road side killing of an officer so according to (Hull Street Law) (In Arizona v. Johnson, (2009), the court stated that once a law enforcement officer has conducted a valid traffic stop, the officer is justified in conducting a frisk of the person for weapons if the officer reasonably suspects that the person stopped is armed and dangerous. (Roberts,