Racial Profiling...What do you think?

It is amazing how things can change in a day. Before September 11, 2001, everybody saw “racial profiling” as being synonymous with “racism”. It was a hot topic and everyone pronounced it as being evil. According to the ACLU, “Tens of thousands of innocent motorists on highways across the country are victims of racial profiling.” This quote was taken from the ACLU website where they have many articles and information dedicated to racial profiling. However, since September 11th, it seems that most of the country is in favor of racial profiling! At least when it comes to Arabs on airplanes they are in favor of it.
What is racial profiling? The ACLU defines it as, “…when the police target someone for investigation on the basis of that person's race, national origin, or ethnicity.” Much of the controversy over racial profiling came to light when it was discovered that the New Jersey State Police was using racial profiling to stop male, black motorists on the New Jersey Turnpike.
The theory for utilizing racial profiling as a crime prevention tool is that statistics show that people of certain ethnicities commit certain crimes more frequently than people of other ethnicities. Therefore, it would stand to reason that if you have areas where you know that certain crimes are committed, it would make sense to stop the people that fit the profile of the people committing that crime. The knowledge of this type of preventative action should help to deter the criminal element.
The furor over racial profiling was started with police agencies, but in the wake of this outrage, several retail establishments have been accused of using racial profiling to apprehend shoplifters. Several retailers, such as Dillards and Rite Aid, have been accused of harassing customers for “shopping while black”. These retailers are accused of focusing on black and Hispanic customers as being more likely to steal. The case against these retailers is that every person, regardless of race, should be free to shop in a retail establishment without fear of being harassed or stopped and falsely accused of shoplifting.
Since September 11th, many people, including members of minority groups, have changed their tune on racial profiling. Everyone still condemns the “Driving While Black” syndrome, but most Americans believe that Arabs should be targeted for more intensive searches at airports. According to a CNN/USA Today/Gallup poll, nearly 6 in 10 Americans believed people of Arab descent should undergo more intensive security checks when flying on U.S. airplanes.
So is racial profiling a good thing or a bad thing? Does it help prevent crimes or does it rob people of their civil liberties? The correct answer is probably “all of the above”.
Profiling is a good thing. It is extremely valuable to put together a clear profile of the most likely suspects to commit crimes. However, profiling strictly by racial or ethnic backgrounds is a bad thing. This type of profile is not complete enough to narrow down a potential suspect. Profiling by race is no more helpful than profiling by someone’s shirt color. You may catch quite a few people wearing red shirts, but that does not mean that everyone who wears a red shirt is a thief.
Human nature is to profile people based upon race. It is a natural tendency that we all have based upon our own upbringing, experiences and perceptions. Racial profiling in itself is not evil. It is only when we take action based upon these profiles that it can become evil. As a Loss Prevention agent, if you observe someone who is black because you think that all blacks steal, that is wrong. If you observe someone white because you think that whites are more likely to steal, that is wrong. If there is a black, male, age 18-21 years, in a certain area of the store that it has been statistically determined that people of that profile are more likely to steal that item, then this is utilizing a solid profile that can benefit you in your performance. Now if this same person moves to the cosmetics area and is standing near a 15 year old, white, female, and you continue watching the black male, you are no longer using a good profile. You are more than likely just using race as the determining factor, because a good profile will show you that the 15 year old, white female is far more likely to steal cosmetics than an 18 year old, black male.
The tricky part of profiling is that the profiles do not become so embedded in our brains as being fact that we start to ignore people who don’t fit the profile. It is at this point that the profile will become a self-fulfilling prophecy. Meaning that if you only watch the people wearing the red shirts, you will only catch people wearing red shirts. As a result, your statistics will show that the only people who steal in your store are people wearing red shirts. This would be inaccurate data that would only reinforce your narrow and inaccurate profile even more. It can become a vicious cycle.
In Loss Prevention, profiling is a valuable tool. The more detailed the profile, the more accurate the data and the less likely you are to base an opinion of a potential shoplifter strictly on race. It does not make sense to follow shoppers just because they are black. It does not make sense to search airline passengers just because they are of Arab descent. Racial profiling is narrow-minded and any good LP professional will avoid it. Don’t limit your profiles to race and you will find them to point you in the right direction every time. As long as you limit your profiles to race, you will also be limiting your opportunities to be a highly productive LP professional.