Racial Profiling by Police in the Contemporary Society

 In the past several years, however, due to the increased terrorist attacks and mass killings that bear a mark of racial or religious affiliation, there has been a considerable shift in the debate over the racial profiling. Many journalists, scholars, and politics now believe that racial profiling should be a part of the broader strategy in the fight against terrorism. Public opinion polls also indicate higher level of racial profiling approval as a means of achieving a greater level of safety through sacrificing some of the civil and democratic liberties. (Sue, 2003) All this means that in our day to day life people of Arab origin or simply those having Arab appearance are increasingly exposed to police questioning and security checks, as well as unfair police treatment, the reason being not their suspicious behavior or actions, but simply their skin color, name, religious believes, or even clothes. Similarly, people of color are frequently stopped because of the police and general public beliefs that there is a linkage between a person’s color or nationality and criminality, beliefs that a person of color is more likely to be involved in illegal practices than white people.

This essay aims to explore the phenomena of racial profiling in the contemporary society, its origins, definition, and influence on national minorities and society in general, as well as the consequences that racial profiling leads to in terms of investigative effectiveness and ways to achieve greater results without severe racial discrimination based on stereotypes.