ABSTRACT
Public concerns over “racial profiling” rapidly emerged in the 1990s and remains as a point of controversy between the police and minority communities today. A universally accepted definition of this phenomenon has yet to emerge, but the term generally refers to circumstances wherein police use “race [or more accurately, the perception of a driver’s race] as a key factor in deciding whether to make a traffic stop” (Ekstrand, 2000:1). By extension, the term describes police-initiated behaviors that are the primary/sole product of a citizen’s race/ethnicity, rather than behavioral/legal cues (Ramirez, McDevitt & Farrell, 2000). Racial profiling has been used to describe an officer’s decision to initiate a traffic stop, as well as subsequent decisions (e.g., to conduct a search) made during the course of that encounter. The term has spawned catch phrases such as “driving while black” and has become a pivotal social and political issue across America.
