Sunday, November 16, 2008

Racial Profiling

Wikipedia Encyclopedia says racial profiling is the inclusion of racial or ethnic characteristics in determining whether a person is considered likely to commit a particular type of crime or an illegal act. Civil rights advocates are against the use of racial profiling tactics by the police.

Conversely, it is argued that including race as one of the several factors in suspect profiling is generally supported by the law enforcement community. It is claimed that profiling based on any characteristic is a time-tested and universal police tool, and that excluding race as a factor is insensible.


Okay. Sooo... let's see if I get this right. Racial profiling done by police as a tool to assist with preventing and solving crimes, preventing damage done to property and people is not permitted. A big no-no.

But..... Yet..... a private citizen can call in the appearance of a person of a different race (the first words out of their mouth) in their neighborhood that does not have a person of that race, requesting immediate police presence to find out what trouble they are preparing to make, a crime they are clearly getting ready to commit, based solely on their appearance, not by their current actions.

Or how about that caller that likes to describe the guy in the robes with a beard that is hanging around a certain location that shouldn't have someone like that near.

Or about the older caller describing the kid who is clearly a gangbanger (and when did that term stop being a sexual assault term and become a description of a wannabe laughable gangsta) cause of his attire and self mutilation (expanding earrings/lobes and multiple piercings) and probably ready to hurt someone.

Apparently the term "racial profiling" is ONLY applied to its use by law enforcement. It is NOT applied to the use by private citizens.

Talk about DISCRIMINATION. DOUBLE STANDARDS.

Oh yeah. We wear the color of the badge. We're not able to or suppose to use the same descriptors utilized by the citizens we serve and protect. We're accountable to a different standard. A higher standard. A color/ethnic/descriptor/sex/religion blindness standard.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

The left wants to paint all LEO'S as bad people. But they are to stupid to know with out the thin blue line. We would all be screwed.

Me said...

Haha. Gotta love the double standard, eh?

We have that too in the northern (wealthier) parts of the city as in "there's a black/hispanic guy walking down the street." They can never articulate what they're doing wrong, other than they 'shouldn't' be there.

Keep up the good work...and the writing!

Anonymous said...

fuzzys dad...I personally do not appreciate your blanket statement about the "left"...I am a democrat and consider myself to be a strong liberal (left) individual. Its not right to label all "left" as stupid and ignorant. Yes I do not like racial profiling and think it is wrong, but I do also realize that unfortunately in our world it is sometimes necessary or unavoidable.

Tired Dispatcher...I agree there very much is a double standard of "do as I say but not as I do" thing going on...