Racial Profiling By Police

Racial profiling is prevailing significantly in different parts of the world, and the United States is no exception. It is a discriminatory practice that should not be a part of democratic nations where every individual is considered equal under the law. Racial profiling is based on a wrong and flawed assumption that an individual with a particular ethnicity, skin color, or nationality is more likely to commit a crime.

Unfortunately, police officers, security personnel, airline employees, or others may show prejudice and discriminate against people with these characteristics, labeling them a suspect when a criminal activity takes place despite complete lack of evidence. Moreover, they may perceive these people as dangerous and assume that they may be involved in a terrorist activity. However, these assumptions are unwarranted and extremely unfair as they do not have any valid grounds other than bias and partiality.

How Does Racial Profiling By Police Occur?

There are many ways racial profiling can take place, especially by police. Some common instances include traffic stops for insignificant offenses, or sometimes no offense at all. There are many cases where police have stopped an individual and showed aggressive behavior solely due to their different skin color. Stanford researchers have used a statistical test to demonstrate racial profiling in traffic police stops which revealed that policemen are more likely to stop black and Hispanic motorists than white and Asian drivers.

Furthermore, stop and frisk incidents are also not very uncommon to people of color, where they are stopped and patted down on the street without any reasonable doubt or suspicion. Victims who are subjected to this discriminatory and embarrassing practice predominantly include Black and Latinos, and a vast majority of them are completely innocent of any crime or wrongdoing as per police departments own statistics.

If you or a member of your family has been treated as a criminal suspect on the basis of your ethnicity or race without any reason or evidence, you are entitled to obtain rightful compensation for your damages. These damages may include psychological, physical, and economic damages that are directly caused due to being subjected to racial bias and wrongful arrest.

How Can An Excessive Force Lawyer Help?

Cases of excessive force usually involve police officers; therefore, it is imperative to choose a suitable course of action to seek justice. If you or your family member have become a victim of racial profiling and want to take legal action against offenders, acquiring services of an experienced excessive force lawyer can be highly beneficial for your case.

An excessive force lawyer will protect your rights and help you to prosecute wrongdoers by collecting evidence and establishing facts of the case. A seasoned excessive force lawyer will use their vast experience of working on cases involving excessive force, which will allow them to devise a strong case in your favor.

If you wish to know more about this subject or to schedule a free consultation, contact Ettinger & Besbekos at (708) 923-0368 to speak with an experienced excessive force lawyer.