NCJ Number
188730
Journal
Law Enforcement Technology Volume: 28 Issue: 4 Dated: April 2001 Pages: 100-108
Date Published
April 2001
Length
9 pages
Annotation
This article discusses the collection of proper data as a means of identifying and stopping racial profiling as the basis for police traffic stops.
Abstract
Although racial profiling in police vehicle stops has received the most attention, profiling extends beyond race and ethnicity to include other personal characteristics such as sex, age, the way a person dresses, and the type of car they drive. In communities where residents express concern about profiling and where the prevalence or perception of racial profiling or other profiling threatens the community policing partnerships, traffic-stop data are important for determining the truth of the matter. Implementing a data collection system sends a clear message to an agency's officers and the community that profiling is not consistent with effective policing and equal protection under the law. The U.S. Department of Justice recommends that agencies collect information on the time, date, and location of the stop; license number, State, and description of the vehicle; the length of the stop; name and identification of the officers making the stop; the motorist's date of birth, gender, race or ethnicity; the reason for the stop; the disposition or outcome of the stop; and whether a search was conducted. The article offers suggestions for means of collecting and analyzing the data so as to reach conclusions about whether or not profiling had occurred.