Why is there such opposition to the idea that racial profiling exists?
Racial profiling is based on the assumption that members of certain ethnic groups are disproportionately more likely to be involved in certain criminal activities. If this practice is widely entrenched or officially sanctioned, it also follows that members of non-targeted groups can also expect less police scrutiny. Since police forces rely on the co-operation of every segment of society, it’s not surprising that accusations of any kind of bias are vigorously denied. Police chiefs say their forces try to weed out racists and can often point to disciplinary action or firings related to racist behaviour. But critics say racial profiling is often more subtle and therefore difficult to monitor. Formal stats are often hard to come by and can be open to alternate interpretations. And some people worry that the collection and publication of any race-based data will simply reinforce racial prejudices. What’s the statistical evidence that racial profiling exists? Since anecdotal evidence appear
