Racial Profiling

Racial profiling by law enforcement is commonly defined as a practice that targets people for suspicion of crime based on their race, ethnicity, religion or national origin.  Creating a profile about the kinds of people who commit certain types of crimes may lead officers to generalize about a particular group and act according to the generalization rather than specific behavior.

Racial profiling can cause multiple problems.  Several law enforcement agencies have gone through expensive litigation over civil rights concerns.  Police-citizen relations in those communities have been strained, making policing all the more challenging.