, 1996)." The author further explains that as it pertains to terrorism, Muslims and people of Arab descent might become unwilling to assist police when they have valuable information because they feel they are being discriminated against. In other words, racial profiling serves to increase instead of deter crime because it increases the hostility between police and the communities that they serve.
In addition to the inability of racial profiling to deter crime, one of the main problems often associated with racial profiling is the issue of civil liberties violations. According to an article entitled "Excessive Force," the degree to which racial profiling is currently allowable is due in part to changes in fourth ammendment jurisprudence. The author explains that during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries the paolice had the right to arrest citizens without a warrant but only when a serious crimes that were witnessed by the officer. However, during the 1980's and 1990s the S
upreme court decided that warrantless arrests could take place even in cases where non-violent/harmless crimes such as traffic violations were committed. The Supreme Court also ruled that "once a citizen is arrested, the police may conduct a full-blown search of his person and property. Moreover, the Court held in 1996 that the police may stop citizens on a pretext -- using an arrest for a minor offense as an excuse for investigating a more serious one (Rosen, 26) ." Such rulings by the Supreme court have perpetuated the use of racial and religious profiling
According to the Yale Law Journal, profiling presents civil liberties issues particularly in the case of watch lists and no-fly-lists. These are used in the airline industry to prevent people who are suspected of terrorism from flying on commercial flights. The article also explains that Congress has a responsibility to protect the civil liberties of Americans. The author explains that
"There are several reasons for Congress to err on the side...
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