The American Civil Liberties Union defines racial profiling as the practice by “law enforcement officials of targeting individuals for suspicion of crime based on the individual’s race, ethnicity, religion or national origin.” Racial and identity profiling is a symptom of institutionalized racism, and has in the last 25 years been researched by Congress, the FBI, and non-profits to curb its presence in law enforcement. In traffic safety, racial and identity profiling often occurs in the selection of which drivers to stop for traffic violations. This program will focus on what data and solutions can be used to limit racial and identity profiling and what the courts can do in these efforts.
During this course you will learn to:
- Analyze the data available on racial and identity traffic stops.
- Describe effective methods of addressing the racial and identity profiling in the data presented.
- Reference the California Racial and Identity Profiling Act of 2015 (RIPA, AB 953) and reference how it and analogous laws can help law enforcement agencies develop best practices.