Dec. 18, 2011

NAACP Calls on Congress to Enact “End Racial Profiling Act of 2011”

hilaryshelton2

Hilary O. Shelton

Special to the Trice Edney News Wire from the Afro American Newspapers

(TriceEdneyWire.com) - The NAACP is calling on Congress to pass the End Racial Profiling Act of 2011, which comprehensively addresses the insidious practice of racial profiling by law enforcement.

“In light of the overwhelming evidence that racial profiling continues to be employed today, the NAACP strongly urges Congress to pass the End Racial Profiling Act as soon as possible,” Hilary O. Shelton, Director of the NAACP Washington Bureau and Senior Vice President for Advocacy and Policy, said in a statement. “Even today, people of color cannot drive down the interstate without being stopped because of the color of their skin. Racial profiling is unconstitutional, socially corrupting and counter-productive to smart and effective law enforcement. This bill will help begin to restore confidence in law enforcement officials on the federal, state and local levels.”

The End Racial Profiling Act seeks to curb racial profiling by law enforcement on a number of levels. If signed into law, it would clearly define the practice of racial profiling; create a federal prohibition against the practice; mandate data collection to fully assess the true extent of the problem; provide funding to retrain law enforcement officials on how to prevent racial profiling; and enact mechanisms to hold law enforcement agencies accountable.

Numerous studies over the past few years have provided evidence that law enforcement agents at all levels have consistently used race, ethnicity or other physical characteristics when choosing which individuals should be stopped and searched. Furthermore, evidence clearly demonstrates that racial profiling is not an effective means of law enforcement and in many cases only adds to the distrust of law enforcement.

The End Racial Profiling Act was introduced U.S. Rep. John Conyers (D-MI) and is supported by numerous civil rights organizations as well as several minority law enforcement associations