User:Mgwest/sandbox

In the case of racial profiling drivers, also known as "Driving While Black", the police officers’ judgments suggest biased policing on colored drivers. An example is the stopping of African American motorists since the police decided to impose the crime violation based on the color of the suspect's skin. Police officers observe many traffic violations throughout the day but they do not pull over every violator they see. So what triggers officers to decide whom to pull over? “Fear of crime itself,” explains the the police when they stop African Americans or other colored races. However, we can make use of the “veil of darkness” hypothesis, which states that police are less likely to know the race of a driver before they make a stop at nighttime as opposed to in the daytime. Referring the veil of darkness hypothesis, it is suggested that if the race distribution of drivers stopped during the day differs from that of drivers stopped at night, officers are engaging in racial profiling. For example, in one study done by Jeffrey Grogger and Greg Ridgeway, the veil of darkness hypothesis was used to determine whether or not racial profiling in traffic stops occurs in Oakland, California. If they know the racial variation in traffic patterns, driving behavior, and police intervention, then they can determine whether or not racial profiling occurs in the traffic stops made during the daytime and after dark. The conductors found that there was little evidence of racial profiling in traffic stops made in this particular city. Legislation has been proposed with the intent of ending racial profiling in traffic stops. There have been many states that have begun collecting data on the details of the traffic stops in order to monitor racial profiling. Profiling is on an individual basis and it is difficult to pinpoint the cause of arrests or stops since the studies allow officers to change their behavior accordingly. For example, in the court case of City of Los Angeles v. Lyons, Adolf Lyons was stopped by police officers because of a faulty taillight; police officers choked him until he was unconscious. Plaintiffs in the case promoted equality yet it was ultimately dependent on appearance and race. “Driving While Black” can be significantly defeated when the public comes together to take a stance against the racial profiling the African American and Latino population face. When the public voices their opinions on this issue and begins to stir up controversy, the media will become involved. This media coverage can make or break the police departments and government officials behind the “driving while black” scandal. In a recent journal comparing the 90’s to the present, studies have proven that when the community criticized police for targeting the black community during traffic stops it received more media coverage and toned down racial profiling. However, whenever there was a significant lack of media coverage or concern with racial profiling, the amount of arrests and traffic stops for the African-American community would significantly rise again.