This essay was written, exclusively for this publication, by Alejandro del Carmen, The University of Texas at Arlington.

Perhaps no other issue has been at the forefront of the racial disparities in the United States than racial profiling. This term, although frequently used by media outlets, is extremely complex to understand and difficult to discuss. The term ãracial profilingä has often been used to refer to law enforcement agents who, for no other reason than racism, identify and stop individuals based on their ethnicity and race. The U.S. Department of Justice defines ãracial profilingä as ãany police-initiated action that relies on the race, ethnicity, or national origin rather the behavior of the individual or information that leads the police to a particular individual who has been identified as being, or having been, engaged in criminal activity.ä

Most of the early allegations involving racial profiling were captured by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). In fact, there were so many allegations, that the ACLU felt compelled to produce a report, under the direction of David Harris, titled ãDriving While Black: Racial Profiling in Our Nationâs Highwaysä. This report contained statements and narratives from several victims of racial profiling incidents. As a result of the publicity given to the report, President Clinton asked Attorney General Reno, civil rights leaders, police, and other governmental leaders to participate in the ãStrengthening Police-Community Relationshipsä conference in Washington D.C. in June, 1999. During this conference, President Clinton called racial profiling a ãmorally indefensible, deeply corrosive practiceä and asked the federal government to collect data on the race and ethnicity of person being stopped by police officers for future analysis.

As a result of this presidential initiative, some states such as Texas have proceeded to enact state laws directed at the collection and analysis of law enforcement data relevant to racial profiling. Despite this, the issue of racial profiling has remained at the forefront of the debate on racial disparities in the United States. Did the attacks of 9/11 change the tone regarding racial profiling?