The Case for Racial Profiling

June 2, 2002

by Brian W. Peterson

Racial profiling. The mere mention of the practice makes some people angry. Yet the dutiful avoidance of racial profiling likely played a small role in the events of 9/11.

According to information that has been gleaned surrounding the now-famous memo from the Minneapolis office of the FBI that warned about the activities of Zacarias Moussaoui, the avoidance of racial profiling likely was a factor in the lack of a proper investigation into Moussaoui. There were many factors which led to that tragic day and a few of those factors were within our control.

There can be little doubt that, no matter how diligent, no matter how prepared our nation could have been, September 11 still would have been a dark day.

Still, if we are to prevent future attacks, much work remains. One quick and easy adjustment that can be made is to steady our own phobia of all things politically incorrect.

There is reality to face. The nineteen terrorists who crashed the airliners all fit into one group: young, Muslim Arab males of foreign birth.

The misuse of racial profiling has been a problem in the past - but so has the misuse of automobiles, and the line is short for those wishing to ban Fords and Chevys. The ethical use of profiling can be beneficial for law enforcement.

Racial profiling helped catch many drug smugglers in south Florida before the practice was deemed discriminatory. Success has its detractors. A particular pattern emerged of young black males driving exactly 55 mph in the slow lane headed north on I-95. The authorities picked them off like doves on opening day of hunting season.

That was racial profiling done the right way. So obsessed we are with political correctness, we rallied against racial profiling because of the excesses. We threw out the proverbial baby with the bath water. To follow this reasoning we should ban police officers from carrying guns because, occasionally, officers shoot suspects without cause.

Occasions arise - and have arisen - when profiling is necessary. Discriminating against people because of race is already against the law. But pursuing a policy, particularly in a time of war, that focuses scrutiny on a category of potential perpetrators is wise.

Rather than pursuing internment camps against those of Japanese descent during World War II, America would have been better served had she spent the same resources focusing on Japanese nationals - those who were not American citizens. Instead, our government overreacted and punished loyal citizens and potential saboteurs alike.

We must cease our ill-advised policies of treating non-citizens like we do citizens. Just as in WWII, we will never catch all of our enemies within our borders who are American citizens. The liberties of citizens would be in jeopardy. But we do have the ability to track non-citizens who may be here preparing for the next attack.

Non-citizen young Muslim Arab males, and all other non-citizens, should not be afforded all of the same rights as citizens. If we do, what is the value of American citizenship? Rather, we should recognize that potential threats to our country need to be handled with resolve, not with feeble political correctness.

When a citizen commits a crime or comes under suspicion, that citizen has constitutional rights that protect him from being unjustly punished. When a non-citizen comes under suspicion, shall we ignore him until he crashes an airplane or detonates a bomb?

By cautiously monitoring young Muslim Arab males who raise suspicions, we stand a better chance of preventing the next attack. We need not wait until the next attack to question them or take appropriate action.

We treasure our Constitution, but we err when we expand the Constitution to cover non-citizens - particularly non-citizens who mean us harm. We can choose the wise use of racial profiling now, or have more days like September 11 later.

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Brian W. Peterson writes a political column for the Antelope Valley Press (circulation approximately 60,000) in Palmdale, California. He is a graduate of Oral Roberts University, where he majored in TV/Film. Brian’s weekly commentary and newspaper columns can be found at www.LifeAndLiberty.com.

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