Racial profiling in Austin
Institution
Introduction
Minority groups in the United States continue to experience various types of racism that affect their usual way of life. A kind of racism that minorities grapple with is racial profiling perpetrated mostly by the police. Racial profiling refers to the strategy of law enforcement agencies stopping and investigating individuals due to their race. Racial profiling is a form of racism whereby the police conduct unmotivated searches on minority groups (Holly, 2018). The vice has been practiced in the country for decades, necessitating the need for action to be taken. Most Americans have had interactions with the police during traffic stops at some point in their lives. They all share different experiences with the police, either positive or negative. While some motorists describe traffic stops as being inconvenient, they are necessary for deterring traffic violations and enforcing traffic rules. Most racial minorities in the country have had strained relationships with the traffic officers because they believe that they are targeted due to their ethnicity. For example, most African Americans in various states in the country believe that officers investigate their actions more closely compared to other people (Patrick, 2019). They, therefore, live their lives in fear of arrest even though they have never broken the law. Austin is one of the communities in the country facing the issue of racial profiling. Minority groups in the area live their lives facing constant discrimination from the officers supposed to protect them. Austin is a unique city with a population of about 900000 people, with the demographics, including the people of color and whites (Andrew, 2018). A large number of minority groups has led to increased cases of racial inequality and economic inequality in the country. Racial profiling is a critical issue affecting the minorities in Austin and the country as a whole.
Racial profiling in Austin is a critical issue that needs to be addressed by society and the government. According to the Austin Police Department report released in 2019, police officers conducted more searches on minority groups during traffic stops compared to other groups (Andrew, 2018). A higher percentage of searches were conducted on minority groups despite the police stopping more white motorists compared to the people of color. Also, while various complaints of racial profiling have been presented to the department for several years, none of them have sufficient evidence for action to be taken. However, racial profiling is evidenced by the fact that people of color are more likely to be searched compared to the white people in the city. Racial profiling occurs due to the perception that minority groups such as Latino, Hispanic, and African Americans commit most offenses, such as owning drugs (Patrick, 2019). However, the argument is misleading because the large numbers of arrests of the people of color occur after the police focus all their resources on them. In this instance, drug dealers who are white are rarely searched and therefore continue trading without fear. Thus massive arrests of black people due to discriminatory searches cement the perception that the minority groups mainly engage in criminal activities. Racial profiling became rampant after 911 and is considered by some states as an acceptable form of crime prevention. In this case, 911 led to most Arab people to be viewed as potential terrorists in the country (Harmeet, 2020). People subjected to racial profiling are affected mentally, emotionally, psychologically, and physically. Also, the impact of racial profiling is felt by not only the victim but also their friends, relatives, and neighbors. Austin has a significant number of minority groups, with approximately 312,822 Latinos, 65,631 African Americans, and 61,234 Asians increasing the need for implementing measures to end racial profiling.
The first critical measure that should be implemented in Austin is the passage of legislation that formally prohibits the vice. Besides passing the law, the state should also implement operating procedures that prohibit racial profiling. Failure to follow the guidelines should be met with strict penalties. Most policymakers perpetuate racial profiling through perpetual stops on the roads. In this instance, the officers use a minor traffic violation as a pretext of conducting searches or different investigations. The motivation of such officers is the thought that people from a particular race are likely to be involved in criminal activities (Holly, 2018). Policymakers should also raise awareness on the impacts of racial profiling and why it should be avoided. Improved vetting strategies should also be adopted by the police force to weed out potential racial profilers. All officers in Austin should be subjected to compulsory training to create awareness of racial discrimination. Austin is a unique city due to its demographics and should, therefore, serve as an example for other states. The city should ensure its people live in harmony and respect each other regardless of their race or origin. To effectively end racial profiling, police officers should investigate and report cases of discrimination (Harmeet, 2020). Members of the police department should be compelled to report incidents of racial profiling to their supervisors for action to be taken. Most officers are reluctant to report their colleagues due to fear of reprisal. There is, therefore, a need for discreet channels of reporting to be implemented in the department. Also, police data on arrests should always be made public to allow for public scrutiny. The police must create a positive relationship with the public to encourage cooperation. Racial profiling discourages minority groups from providing critical information to the police in solving a crime. In essence, Austin needs to adopt various measures to solve the problem of racial profiling.
Ultimately, racial profiling is a critical issue affecting the minorities in Austin and the country as a whole. Racial profiling is a form of racism whereby the police conduct unmotivated searches on minority groups. According to the Austin Police Department report released in 2019, police officers conducted more searches on minority groups during traffic stops compared to other groups. A higher percentage of searches were conducted on minority groups despite the police stopping more white motorists compared to the people of color. Racial profiling occurs due to the perception that minority groups such as Latino, Hispanic, and African Americans commit most offenses, such as having drugs. However, the argument is misleading because the large numbers of arrests of the people of color result from police focusing all their resources on them. The first critical measure that should be implemented in Austin is the passage of legislation that formally prohibits the vice. Besides passing the law, the state should also implement operating procedures that prohibit racial profiling. Policymakers should also raise awareness on the impacts of racial profiling and why it should be avoided. Improved vetting strategies should also be adopted by the police force to weed out potential racial profilers. All officers in Austin should be subjected to compulsory training to create awareness of racial discrimination. Austin is a unique city due to its demographics and should, therefore, serve as an example for other states. The city should ensure its people live in harmony and respect each other regardless of their race or origin. The police must create a positive relationship with the public to encourage cooperation. Therefore various measures should be implemented to end the vice and generate harmony in Austin.
References
Andrew, W. (2018, March 14). Read Draylen Mason’s 2013 Essay On Racial Profiling In Austin. KUTNEWS. Retrieved from
Holly, Y. (2018, May 11). This is why everyday racial profiling is so dangerous. CNN. Retrieved from
Patrick, P. (2019, March 5).Austin police made 20,000 fewer traffic stopped in 2018, racial profiling report shows. KVUE-TV. Retrieved from
Harmeet, K. (2020, January 31). Black and Hispanic drivers in Austin, Texas, are disproportionately stopped by police, report says. CNN. Retrieved from