What is racial profiling?
Q: What is racial profiling?
A: Racial profiling is the practice of police stopping and searching citizens on the suspicion that they may have committed a crime, based on their race or ethnicity.
Q: Where did the term racial profiling originate?
A: The term racial profiling originated in the United States.
Q: Why is racial profiling controversial?
A: Racial profiling is controversial because it is usually black citizens who are stopped and searched, leading to concerns of discriminatory treatment based on race.
Q: In which other countries might religious and cultural differences be the basis for police profiling?
A: In other countries, such as the Middle East, religious and cultural differences may be the basis for police profiling.
Q: When was the first challenge to racial profiling in the United States?
A: The first challenge to racial profiling in the United States was in 1968, in the case of Terry v. Ohio.
Q: What was Terry v. Ohio about?
A: Terry v. Ohio was about African American people who were thought to be stealing. The police officer arrested the three men, searched them and found a gun on two of the three men.
Q: What was the Supreme Court's ruling in Terry v. Ohio?
A: In an 8-1 ruling, the Supreme Court decided that the police officer acted in a reasonable manner, and with reasonable suspicion, under the Fourth Amendment. The decision in this case allowed the police to have discretion in identifying suspicious or illegal activities.
