Criminal Justice

1. Racial Profiling & Response of
government officials to racial and
ethnic issues
By: David Nettles, Mimi Harvill, KJ
Eberle, and Jesse Palmer

2. Racial Profiling
case in NY
• Police are using the stop
and frisk without
probable cause
• 85% of victims are black
or hispanics
• Use race as a reason to
stop someone
• 600.000 stop and frisks
per year
• Stop, question, and frisk
is NYPD policy

3. Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office
Bias Based Profiling Policy
Bias Based Profiling
Occurs when an Officer of the Law
takes police action based on the
officers opinion, referring to a bias or
a stereotype of an individual: race,
color, sex, age, creed, etc.
Criminal Profiling
Occurs when an Officer of the Law
takes police action after the
evaluation of facts based on current
investigations and/or historical
knowledge of an individual: race,
color, sex, age, creed, etc.
Sheriff David Gee
The policy states the Sheriff’s Office will protect the
Constitutional rights of every citizen.
Bias Based Profiling (racial profiling) is not the same as
Criminal Profiling; “One is an investigative tool; the other, a
discriminatory practice (HCSO).”

4. ARIZONA SENATE BILL 1070: STATE
SANCTIONED RACIAL PROFILING?
• April 23, 2010, the state of Arizona enacts Senate
Bill 1070 (deters entry and presence of aliens in
violation of federal immigration law)
• Criminal enforcement
VS
Immigration enforcement

5. The Racial Profiling Prevention act,
H.R. 4398
• New legislation that has been put forth by member of the
House of Representatives to aid in the elimination of racial
profiling
• $7.5 million would be taken from the Highway Trust Fund, for
5 yrs,
• The hope is that the money given to states enforcing laws
against racial profiling, would help cover costs for traffic stop
analysis and to further develop programs against racial
profiling.

6. Man Abused Over Filming A Case Of
Racial Profiling
Australian police officers stopped a young black
man walking down the street and began to pat him
down. A young bystander and his friend believed he
was being racially profiled so they both began to
record the situation. A Few minutes pass and officer
go over to the young man and his friend and began
to question why they I are recording. The young
man tells them why and officers begin to look for
reasons to take them into custody after a few
moments officers grabbed his friend with force and
began searching him for no apparent reason.

7. Governments
apology for slavery
and Jim Crow Law
• Jim Crow Law
considered African
Americans as 2nd class
citizens
• Government officials
agree that the
institution of slavery
was wrong

8. Reginald Pitts
Racial profiling feared at Wal-Mart
The Story:
Store managers delay a black customer for two hours. It took police 19
minutes to figure out he did nothing wrong.
Sharon Weber, spokeswoman for the chain, based in Bentonville, Ark. "We
do not tolerate racial discrimination or racial profiling at Wal-Mart (Albright,
2005).”
The Facts:
GAF purchases $50,000 yearly on Wal-Mart gift cards from a Brandon, FL store. GAF gives these cards
as a reward to selected employees. Usually a white female would purchase the cards; no issues. In
2005, Reginald Pitts placed an order for 520 cards and the GAF issued the $13,600 check. At the
point of sale, he was considered suspect of a crime.
Wal-Mart delayed Pitts; even though the cards were printed, Pitts provided adequate ID, and GAF
telephoned Wal-Mart to accept the transaction.
Walmart’s story
Wal-Mart said the checks were forged
and called the Sheriff’s office to report a
felonious act.
Deputy Sheriffs arrive to address a
felonious report. 19 minutes later, the
deputies determined no crime was
committed.
Hillsborough County sheriff's deputies’
story

9. Efforts To Prosecute Individuals
Recording Officers
• Cook County State’s Attorney Anita
Alvarez is pushing to make it illegal
to record officers in the United
States
• Video taping allowed by citizens is
the single most important
deterrent of police abuse and has
prosecuted numerous officers lying
on stand
• One of the most famous police
brutality videos “Beating of Rodney
King”