Racism in police

[diecarmona]

Have you witnessed racism in your police force? If so, how? What did you do about it? Do you think there's still racial profiling done by the police? Do you think that racial profiling is a factor in that most of the inarcerations are of minorities in the US?

Do you think this is an important problem or is it overblown by the media?

 

[DancingLady]

I think it may be overblown by the media, but I also think it does happen in some areas. Reasons behind may be directly related to the demographics of the area and the past experiences of the people who are doing the profiling. My guess is that many people who make choices that would be considered racial profiling are unaware they are doing it. If a cop does, or has worked in an area where there happens to be a significantly higher percentage of people who are African America, Hispanic, or or other minority, who are engaged in criminal activity, racial profiling may start happening as a natural result of experience. Unfortunately there are a lot of gangs made up of people who are of a particular race. Wherever that happens, you end up with a culture of suspicion toward people of that race because people are afraid of the gang and can't be sure at a glance if a person is a member of it or not.

 

[Rhoda D'Ettore]

I think sometimes police profile for other reasons, and people take it to automatically be racial. For example, I drive a Mustang GT--with my name on my license plate. I worked 6pm-3am, and when driving through this one town, with an officer population of three at that time of night, I got pulled over at least three times out of five. I am a white woman, so I know it was not racial profiling. Even a female officer pulled me over, so it was not sexist. But I had a sports car and was driving through there after the bars just closed.

It was a 35 mph speed limit, and I got pulled over for speeding doing 35. The same week, I was doing 30 mph and got pulled over for speeding. The following week, I was pulled over for going to slow at 25 mph, and was accused of drinking and driving. Each time, the officer ran my plates and discovered I have a clean record. After another two weeks of this, I began stopping off at the donut shop and bought coffee for the officers. Chances were that I would be pulled over. After a couple nights of proving to them I already knew I was getting pulled over, they left me alone.

When I got a Mustang of another color, I was in fact speeding. The officer pulled me over and said, "I was going to let you go, but this car is so hot I wanted to see the inside." So I do not think they are jerks. I think they see things and instinctively profile for certain reasons. My white nephew and his friends used to get pulled over and even searched every time they had more than two teens in a car. Again, that was not race, it was an age thing.

When racism does happen... it is a terrible thing. But, some people say that profiling for illegal immigrants is wrong. Why? they ARE illegal. So it might be unconscious, or it might be necessary in some respects. But abuse and discrimination is always wrong.

 

[DancingLady]

Oh, that's funny Rhoda. My dad had a similar experience with a cop in an unmarked car when he was driving one of his hot rods.

 

[diecarmona]

But, some people say that profiling for illegal immigrants is wrong. Why? they ARE illegal. So it might be unconscious, or it might be necessary in some respects. But abuse and discrimination is always wrong.

I don't really think there are lots of people out there that think it's wrong to profile illegal immigrants. I think you might be confused. People think it's wrong to stereotype all immigrants as being illegal. There are legal and illegal immigrants. No one is defending illegal immigrants beyond basic human rights (which should be accessible to anyone anywhere).

 

[Profit5500]

I think sometimes police profile for other reasons, and people take it to automatically be racial. For example, I drive a Mustang GT--with my name on my license plate. I worked 6pm-3am, and when driving through this one town, with an officer population of three at that time of night, I got pulled over at least three times out of five. I am a white woman, so I know it was not racial profiling. Even a female officer pulled me over, so it was not sexist. But I had a sports car and was driving through there after the bars just closed.

It was a 35 mph speed limit, and I got pulled over for speeding doing 35. The same week, I was doing 30 mph and got pulled over for speeding. The following week, I was pulled over for going to slow at 25 mph, and was accused of drinking and driving. Each time, the officer ran my plates and discovered I have a clean record. After another two weeks of this, I began stopping off at the donut shop and bought coffee for the officers. Chances were that I would be pulled over. After a couple nights of proving to them I already knew I was getting pulled over, they left me alone.

When I got a Mustang of another color, I was in fact speeding. The officer pulled me over and said, "I was going to let you go, but this car is so hot I wanted to see the inside." So I do not think they are jerks. I think they see things and instinctively profile for certain reasons. My white nephew and his friends used to get pulled over and even searched every time they had more than two teens in a car. Again, that was not race, it was an age thing.

When racism does happen... it is a terrible thing. But, some people say that profiling for illegal immigrants is wrong. Why? they ARE illegal. So it might be unconscious, or it might be necessary in some respects. But abuse and discrimination is always wrong.

The whole illegal immigrants part I can feel the same way they are illegal with no citizenship so why are they here. I mean they could bring narcotics into our country and feel like they own this land. Police in areas where there are many minorities present its like they feel as though they can go up to them at times and suspect them of some sort of criminal activity. I could remember I think it was in North Carolina there was a state trooper who pulled into the gas station and this man was out of his car. The trooper told him to get his ID so the man was reaching in his car for his ID and then the trooper shot him. The trooper had the audacity to say that the man was reaching for a gun when the man was only doing what he was told to do. I am not sure if the trooper is on trial right now but just have to be careful and report police misconduct.