NCJ Number
215251
Journal
Law Enforcement Technology Volume: 33 Issue: 7 Dated: July 2006 Pages: 40,42-44,46,47
Date Published
July 2006
Length
6 pages
Annotation
This article identifies factors that must be considered when attempting to assess whether or not a law enforcement agency is engaged in racial profiling in making traffic stops.
Abstract
In order to establish racial profiling, two factors must be proven, assuming all other factors are equal. First, jurisdictional data must show that Black, Hispanics, or some other racial group are no more likely than Whites to violate traffic laws. Second, the study must prove that police routinely stop drivers who are of a certain minority group at a higher rate than Whites. To date, no study conducted has objectively measured whether certain minority groups commit traffic and other vehicle-related violation at a rate equal to that of Whites. Collecting accurate data on officer traffic stops and driver racial characteristics is also problematic. Officers may fail to complete data-collection forms or neglect to complete them accurately. They may also make a conscious decision to "regulate" the data-collection process toward favorable statistics, which is a pattern shown in many traffic-stop studies. Also, how should officers define race for drivers of mixed race. These and other factors can undermine the completeness and accuracy of data on the number and characteristics of traffic stops and the drivers involved. An additional complication is the impossibility of determining an officer's motive for making a stop, even when there may be legitimate reasons for making the stop. Given the many difficulties associated with attempting to make an objective, scientific decision regarding whether officers in a particular agency are engaged in racial profiling, a better strategy might be to maximize training and resources at the front end of the system. Training officers in the nature of racial profiling and how to avoid it may be the best strategy currently available.