NCJ Number
190428
Date Published
2001
Length
22 pages
Annotation
This issue features a discussion of police racial profiling policies for Nebraska, 2001 Nebraska legislation pertinent to criminal justice, statewide crime statistics for 2000, and listings for the Criminal Justice Video Library.
Abstract
Nebraska's LB 593, passed in the last legislative session, requires each law enforcement agency in the State to adopt a policy that prohibits racial profiling before January 1, 2002. This issue presents a paper that proposes a policy for police agency adoption that reflects the following definition of "racially biased policing:" "inappropriately considering race or ethnicity in deciding with whom and how to intervene in an enforcement capacity." The policy emphasizes that arrests, traffic stops, investigative detentions, searches, and property seizures must be based on reasonable suspicion or probable cause; restricts officers' ability to use race/ethnicity in establishing reasonable suspicion or probable cause in those situations in which trustworthy, locally relevant information links a person or persons of a specific race/ethnicity to a particular unlawful incident; and applies the aforementioned restrictions to requests for consent searches. This issue outlines the provisions of nine pieces of legislation pertinent to criminal justice passed by the Nebraska Legislature in 2001. An overview of statewide crime statistics for 2000 indicates a 2-percent increase in the number of crimes reported to police agencies during 2000 compared to 1999.