What is the definition of racial profiling?

What is the definition of racial profiling?

• A. Detaining an individual or conducting a motor vehicle stop based upon disparate treatment of an individual
• B. Detaining individuals solely based on their hair color
• C. Stopping every vehicle at random
• D. Conducting vehicle searches without cause

Answer: (A)

Racial profiling is making enforcement decisions based on a person’s race or ethnicity rather than on observed behavior or evidence of wrongdoing. The best description here is detaining someone or stopping a vehicle because of disparate treatment tied to those protected characteristics. It means treating people differently simply because of who they are, not because of what they’ve done. Hair color isn’t a legitimate basis for profiling, stopping every vehicle at random is arbitrary and not about individual behavior, and conducting vehicle searches without cause is an abuse of power but not the same as profiling based on racial or ethnic attributes.

Racial profiling is making enforcement decisions based on a person’s race or ethnicity rather than on observed behavior or evidence of wrongdoing. The best description here is detaining someone or stopping a vehicle because of disparate treatment tied to those protected characteristics. It means treating people differently simply because of who they are, not because of what they’ve done. Hair color isn’t a legitimate basis for profiling, stopping every vehicle at random is arbitrary and not about individual behavior, and conducting vehicle searches without cause is an abuse of power but not the same as profiling based on racial or ethnic attributes.