Defense against Profiling?
I want to talk to you about Profiling. Many of you have heard of it and some of you may have experienced it, like me. Quite simply put, profiling is a form of police prejudice. It is the assumption that some groups are more likely to commit crimes or in some other way break or bend the law. It is also a form of harassment. The most widely known type of profiling is racial profiling.
Racial Profiling(Driving while Black, also Hispanic, Asian, or any other minority group)
This type of profiling is based on ethnicity. Police will target black citizens for traffic stops and searches for no other reason than that they are black. I experienced this type of profiling first-hand in Beaumont, TX. My mother and I were traveling from San Antonio back to Florida after dropping my daughter off to spend the summer with my sister. All of a sudden I find myself being pulled over. What should have been a routine traffic stop ended up with me being removed from the car and questioned by one officer while my mother in the car was being questioned by his partner. We were in my mother's car (an older Delta 88) with Florida plates. Although they did not say it, they pulled us over because we were black, driving am ordinary car with Florida plates on Interstate 10. Because of that criteria they thought there was a possibility that we were running drugs. Of course they "gave me a reason" for the stop. When they pulled out so suddenly behind me, I thought perhaps they had gotten a call and moved over to the right behind a panel van. Their excuse was that I was too close to the van. My mother however did not take kindly to their actions and told them that I worked for a police department at which time they immediately released us.
Gender Profiling(Driving while female)
Yes ladies this happens also. Female drivers are bad drivers or they want to get your information. Officers have been known to pull women over for no other reason than being female. This can be very upsetting at night when you are alone in your vehicle. After 12 years of dealing with police officers I can tell you that the majority want to do the job to the best of their ability, but there is that minority of bad cops.
Age Profiling (Driving while a teen)
Teenagers are targeted almost as often as minorities. Kids out at night just have to be up to no good. They are scoring drugs, committing vandalism etc. This type of profiling can cause young people to develop a hatred for police.
Your car doesn't fit the neighborhood
If you are driving a clunker in an affluent neighborhood they will assume you are looking for a house to burglarize, but if you are driving a nice car in a poor neighborhood you must be selling drugs.
From experience I can tell you that being profiled is a violation. Being judged in this manner causes an emotional response, anger, confusion, fear of it happening again. Most importantly it makes you feel like you have no rights. This is an issue that PrePaid Legal Services addresses. The Legal Shield Card invokes your Miranda rights and gives you 24 hour access to an attorney when you need it. You have an attorney to advise you when that officer wants to subject you to a search without probable cause. You don't have to worry about being profiled again.
Racial Profiling(Driving while Black, also Hispanic, Asian, or any other minority group)
This type of profiling is based on ethnicity. Police will target black citizens for traffic stops and searches for no other reason than that they are black. I experienced this type of profiling first-hand in Beaumont, TX. My mother and I were traveling from San Antonio back to Florida after dropping my daughter off to spend the summer with my sister. All of a sudden I find myself being pulled over. What should have been a routine traffic stop ended up with me being removed from the car and questioned by one officer while my mother in the car was being questioned by his partner. We were in my mother's car (an older Delta 88) with Florida plates. Although they did not say it, they pulled us over because we were black, driving am ordinary car with Florida plates on Interstate 10. Because of that criteria they thought there was a possibility that we were running drugs. Of course they "gave me a reason" for the stop. When they pulled out so suddenly behind me, I thought perhaps they had gotten a call and moved over to the right behind a panel van. Their excuse was that I was too close to the van. My mother however did not take kindly to their actions and told them that I worked for a police department at which time they immediately released us.
Gender Profiling(Driving while female)
Yes ladies this happens also. Female drivers are bad drivers or they want to get your information. Officers have been known to pull women over for no other reason than being female. This can be very upsetting at night when you are alone in your vehicle. After 12 years of dealing with police officers I can tell you that the majority want to do the job to the best of their ability, but there is that minority of bad cops.
Age Profiling (Driving while a teen)
Teenagers are targeted almost as often as minorities. Kids out at night just have to be up to no good. They are scoring drugs, committing vandalism etc. This type of profiling can cause young people to develop a hatred for police.
Your car doesn't fit the neighborhood
If you are driving a clunker in an affluent neighborhood they will assume you are looking for a house to burglarize, but if you are driving a nice car in a poor neighborhood you must be selling drugs.
From experience I can tell you that being profiled is a violation. Being judged in this manner causes an emotional response, anger, confusion, fear of it happening again. Most importantly it makes you feel like you have no rights. This is an issue that PrePaid Legal Services addresses. The Legal Shield Card invokes your Miranda rights and gives you 24 hour access to an attorney when you need it. You have an attorney to advise you when that officer wants to subject you to a search without probable cause. You don't have to worry about being profiled again.
9 people like it
Comments (39)
Cheryl Baumgartner
12
Medical Billing/Coding/Insurance
It did spark a lot of conversation back when it was first posted but it's still as relevant today as it was then.
Eli Noble Jr
7
Marketer/ Income Opportunities
Great blog. The timing is right for that. I live in an area where it is a constant problem.
Jennifer Underwood
11
Promoter
Other than being a broke single WHITE woman ...living in a trailer park...not driving the best of things....Yes...when your name is RAN....it means everything...cause they find out you live in a trailer park....that is full of.......INVESTIGATIONS...and never even TALKED to my neighbors.
I just lived there....making a home for my kids...
Please...don't me go any further. cause it happens...to everyone.
Jennifer Underwood
11
Promoter
with no 'investigation against' btw
Jennifer Underwood
11
Promoter
I am not going to hide the fact that yes...racism still exists. But it goes every which way and color. And that fact I will stick by. You have to live in shoes...to walk in shoes. And many I would not want to walk in. But.....this is a world of racism. I guess I know many really low down no good rednecks....cause I have had many many to go through this profiling. And yes....I have been there.
Jennifer Underwood
11
Promoter
We need cops like you were obviously here....lol
Jennifer Underwood
11
Promoter
You don't live in Georgia...lol
Cheryl Baumgartner
12
Medical Billing/Coding/Insurance
I spent 12 years working at a police department. Profiling is a completely different thing than being "under suspicion".
Profiling is a pattern of unwarranted behavior. I'm sorry to be the one to state this little truism but in most cases you can have an honest to god redneck trailer park piece of trash get pulled over and sent on his way with nothing more than a check of his license. The same cop pulls over a black person and will turn over every stone in an effort to find a reason to arr
Jennifer Underwood
11
Promoter
Well from personal experience...I have seen the labeling from police.
Lol. Not trying to get into a debate.
We agree that it is just wrong...no matter who you are.
Cheryl Baumgartner
12
Medical Billing/Coding/Insurance
Whether we like it or not investigation serves a purpose, to uncover evidence. In many cases it is the evidence that clears people of suspicion. Unfortunately whenever there is a crime there must be an investigation.
Much of the problem with being labeled is in the media reporting that people are under investigation. They report just enough information to infer guilt often before investigations have been completed.
Jennifer Underwood
11
Promoter
The police shouldn't label the person being 'investigated'....just another wrong way of making people disrespect the law.
Jennifer Underwood
11
Promoter
hmmmm...I have to disagree on that one.
But any how...any and all of it is a bunch of crap. Even us white folk are profiled too like you mentioned.
Trailer trash, redneck *and believe me...I have heard police refer*
Live in a trailer park...see how you are treated....live in a nice beautiful house...see how you are treated....
been there..done that
Every one is in one way shape or form.
Injustice it is indeed. ;0)
Cheryl Baumgartner
12
Medical Billing/Coding/Insurance
Identity theft victims get caught up in an investigation through no fault of their own, but there has been a crime committed. That is not profiling that is investigation. And yes family members may find themselves being investigated also but again, that is investigation.
In profiling there is no crime or indication of a crime. There is no probable cause. It's based on prejudice and bias only. There's a big difference in the police working from "probable cause" and working from the assumpti
Cheryl Baumgartner
12
Medical Billing/Coding/Insurance
99% of the people profiled have done nothing wrong they simply fit the profile. But creating a scene accomplishes nothing except to escalate the situation. That's why I make sure I am on the phone with my lawyer during stops. There's a witness to what's going on and that witness has the name and badge number of the officer. The officer knows there is a witness too. Most officers appreciate that because they are protected from accusations.
When you have an officer that gets bent our of shap
Rocky Pacley
7
I read on comment of education to the profiling in my opinion the only education
to have considering this is from experience is to cooperate and if you don't you
might not live to report anything.
There are laws in place now but like everything else the laws are constantly getting
stretched.
Cheryl Baumgartner
12
Medical Billing/Coding/Insurance
People get taken advantage of because they don't know. Contrary to popular belief what you don't know CAN hurt you!
Jennifer Underwood
11
Promoter
It is great to have people out here educating everyone about these serious issues.
Identity theft, cyber crime both out beat drug crimes, and murder crimes.
That gives you some serious thinking to do. Did me for my family and I!
Thank C for this great blog!
Cheryl Baumgartner
12
Medical Billing/Coding/Insurance
One of the more recent types of profiling, well dressed middle aged white males driving U-Haul or Ryder trucks. This is newest thing in drug trafficking. So now middle aged white males get profiled too!
Cheryl Baumgartner
12
Medical Billing/Coding/Insurance
This can be a touchy subject, as you can see. But we have to get it out in the open and address it if we want to change it. Profiling is not fun, I've been the victim of it. But it could just as easily be any one of us for one reason or another. It's only when people become aware and it's not just something that affects "those" people that it loses power.
Rae Steinbrink
6
I cannot relate to all the topics expressed here, but I can relate to profiling and your passion for the injustice of THAT is the truth of the matter. Knowledge is Power and educating even one person Cheryl helps deny the effects of profiling anyone.