Hi does anyone have opinions about racial profiling in airports or feel like they have been profiled? I am a college student doing a report on this. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Can you be a little more specific as to profiling by whom? TSA, Airlines, Homeland Security, FBI, private citizens or just general profiling by anyone? And in what way is the profiling being applied? Seat assignments, more scrutiny, or something along the lines of subtle and or not so subtle discrimination of sorts? This is a very broad and wide open question.

Be interesting the views you recieve from this forum compared to these forums-
http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=navc...orcement+forums
As far as profiling goes it didn't seem to do much good at LAX, Los Angeles, recently when a test was done with smuggling fake bombs on airplanes.
100% of the fakes got through but not one tube of toothpaste made it through security. Go figure.

Any racial or sexual profiling that occurs within airports while traveling. Does anyone feel like they have been unnecessarily pulled aside or scrutinized due to their age, religion, sex, or race? This can apply to checking bags in, going through security, and/or getting on the plane. I hope that clears it up a bit.

For consideration..

Let's assume 95% of drunk drivers are male, 5% female.

Now let's set up a roadside sobriety check point, where the enforcement personel have only enough resources to check 10% of the people passing that check point.

Does it make sense to stop 50% male drivers and 50% female drivers? Or would it make more sense to stop more male drivers? If you said the later, you are sexually profiling.

Profiling is an effective method of making the most use of limited resources - by concentrating on those who are most likely to be of interest.


Flame away.

Makes perfect sense to me, but then I'm a middle aged white guy, so I don't have a list of kneejerk excuses as to why I'm not treated like I think I ought to be.

When was the last time an average American attacked the country or attempted to (excluding the school shootings, I'm talking on a massive scale like 9/11)? Why should I (20s white male) be singled out for bombs? Just because the people who attacked our country where male? You're right we are wasting our resources by checking native born AMERICANS. Until we see evidence that a white male 20-50 year old AMERICAN wants to attack the country then we can start checking us.

It's a tough call about being fair. Now I don't mean pull over ever foreigner because they might have a bomb, but stop going after the people that are LESS LIKELY to have a bomb. As for foreigners coming here, I don't think they should all be checked. We should have it set up so every 1 out of (let's say) 1500 people that go through (a very busy airport) be checked. Stop individually attacking EVERYONE.

However, I don't think we should be taking away stupid things that would be less likely to make a bomb. Like the toothpaste, shampoo, body spray, etc... Even if it is a carry on, make accommodation to put it in the under cabinet (if it is not a necessity). Like shampoo, you aren't going to be taking a shower on the plane, but you might brush your teeth after eating on a long trip. Be practical. Allow for "baggage" + non necessity baggage. For the "forbidden" items to be tagged with your name and put with your cargo underneath; since your luggage down doesn't have shampoo and such removed.

As for the pressure of the plane setting off a bomb down there, it is unlikely (unless powered by a barometer), because the pressure in the plane in regulated and won't affect many items. I took a 1.5 liter of coke home from NYC in my luggage (non-carry-on) flying out of Laguardia Airport.

In the 90's, Timothy Mc Viegh (spelling?), Oklahoma City bombing....

I personnally have no problem with profiling. I think it would only bother me if I had something to hide. I get inspected, lik everyone else,on planes and subways. I'm actually glad when I see peopleget pulled. It's a security we deal with in the Terrorist world.
I know several State Tropers who say they'll pull over vehicles for infractions. Headlight out not on, plates hanging,speeding or weaving etc...
Too many of these rolling road hazards turn out to be unlicensed,drunk,drug shipping or various other crimes. They look for these vehicles,a form of profiling with a high success rate. It keeps us all safer.

I don't think I can agree with the logic of your analogy, boopme. The comparison doesn't work because the police, in this case, are profiling based on actions...or inactions in the case of failing to replace headlights. This is a far cry from stopping people at airports because they "appear Arabic."

I am reminded of an incident I read about a few years back. A man was removed from an airplane by security; another passenger reported that he had "a suspicious distant stare" as if he was planning something. Turns out he was a professor on his way to give a speech, going over his notes in his head.

I think that ultimately there really is very little we can do to prevent terrorist attack, short of the usual metal detectors and baggage screening. It is my opinion that random screening is conducted simply to produce the appearance that airports are "doing all they can."

I returned to Canada from Japan in 2004 at Vancouver BC. I was with an Afghan national who was visiting family in Montreal. He was immediately accosted by 3 Customs agents and directed to a secure for questioning. That did not surprise me - however, their total lack of concern for me sure did! I felt invisible........

I have a friend who is originally from Mexico. He was stopped in an airport shortly after Sept. 11.
He was in a secure area of an airport. When those who stopped him were 100% sure he really was indeed an airline pilot on his way to the plane (he had on his uniform and ID badge) they simply told him Have a nice day.

I do not think that profiling is a bad thing at all. I am a white male so i know i probably wont be profiled in security but if i was i would not mind at all because i have absolutely nothing to hide. For now it is the most efficient way (although not that efficient) of checking people. And i also believe that it is only going to get worse in the next few years. I would not mind a little inconvenience for some more peace of mind while going through security and getting on planes, subways, etc...

As "distasteful" as profiling is to many, it is a fact of life and has always been so. Call it what you will, but the safety and security of the majority will always be called such by the minority. No, it is not the "politically correct" thing, but political correctness has placed us into a position where it has become a necessity.

A society in general, cannot be politically correct and still be fair and equal, as politics change like the wind, and thus changes on a whim to serve or suit those who feel they have been unjustly treated.

Our society is being driven to the brink of ruin, due to trying to be politically correct to all for all reasons at the same time.

Citizenship no longer holds the rights it once did. Illegal persons are given out of hand the rights of those who by birth or rule of law out of hand. There are no reason to become a citizen, if those same rights and protections are given to all citizen or not.

Why are we focusing on profiling at airports? It happens everywhere. So, if people think that racial profiling is a problem, efforts should not be focused on airports, but on educating the ignorant of the world.

And if you want my opinion I think that racial profiling is a very good thing, in the USA, simply because other nations, like those in the middle east, WILL NEVER make equal or even near equal efforts to stop profiling or racism. The terrorists profiled WASPS on 9/11, so I think anyone who doesn't look like a wasp should just expect, and be willing to be profiled and further scrutinized at airports, because it is about saving lives, not your pathetic spec of dignity.

You are so correct. When we think of profiling, the word "race" always is though of first.

BUT, think of a salesperson. Two people walk in, the salesperson has but a few seconds to determine whom to go after. That is profiling. It is also a matter of the salesperson's survival as to whom he or she feels will provide the sale.

I once sold cars, I had to make a quick determination with a sales floor full of people who looked like I could get a deal made. To be honest, I was not such a good profiler. And did not last long.

yeah, people are profiled everywhere. its a natural human behavior. And i still say that if racial profiling saves lives, it should be done. period.

Race, Creed, Religious, Color, are and/or can be tools to help to save lives, if used correctly for the proper reasons.

topic done? i think so

Sorry missed this earlier, got this as a e-mail sometime back

PROFILING
> To ensure we Americans never offend anyone, particularly fanatics intent
> on killing us, airport screeners will not be allowed to profile people.
> They will continue random searches of 80-year-old women, little kids,
> airline pilots with proper identification, Secret Service agents who are
> members of the President's security detail, 85-year old Congressmen with
> metal hips and Medal of Honor winning former Governors.
>
> Let's pause a moment and take the following test.
>
> In 1972 at the Munich Olympics, athletes were kidnapped and massacred by:
> a. Olga Korbutt
> b. Sitting Bull
> c. Arnold Schwarzenegger
> d. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40
>
> In 1979, the U.S. embassy in Iran was taken over by:
> a. Lost Norwegians
> b. Elvis
> c. A tour bus full of 80-year-old women
> d. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40
>
> During the 1980's a number of Americans were kidnapped in Lebanon by:
> a. John Dillinger
> b. The King of Sweden
> c. The Boy Scouts
> d. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40
>
> In 1983, the U.S. Marine barracks in Beirut was blown up by:
> a. A pizza delivery boy
> b. Pee Wee Herman
> c. Geraldo Rivera making up for a slow news day
> d. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40.
>
> In 1985 the cruise ship Achille Lauro was hijacked and a
> 70 year old American passenger was murdered and thrown overboard by:
> a. The Smurfs
> b. Davy Jones
> c. The Little Mermaid
> d. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40.
>
> In 1985 TWA flight 847 was hijacked at Athens, and a U.S. Navy diver was
> murdered by:
> a. Captain Kid
> b. Charles Lindberg
> c. Mother Teresa
> d. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40
>
> In 1988, Pan Am Flight 103 was bombed by:
> a. Scooby Doo
> b. The Tooth Fairy
> c. Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid who had a few sticks of dynamite
> left
> over from the train job
> d. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40
>
> In 1993 the World Trade Center was bombed the first time by:
> a. Richard Simmons
> b. Grandma Moses
> c. Michael Jordan
> d. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40
>
> In 1998, the U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania were bombed by:
> a. Mr. Rogers
> b. Hillary, to distract attention from Wild Bill's women problems
> c. The World Wrestling Federation to promote its next Villain: "Mustapha
> the Merciless"
> d. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40
>
> On 9/11/01, four airliners were hijacked and destroyed the World Trade
> Center and thousands of people were killed by:
> a. Bugs Bunny, Wiley E.. Coyote, Daffy Duck and Elmer Fudd
> b. The Supreme Court of Florida
> c. Mr. Bean
> d. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40
>
> In 2002 reporter Daniel Pearl was kidnapped and murdered by:
> a. Bonny and Clyde
> b. Captain Kangaroo
> c. Billy Graham
> d. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40
>
> Nope, no patterns anywhere to justify profiling.

Wow, difficult test.

I usually do well on multiple choice questions, but some of those are tough.

The good news -

it appears that I qualify for an airport screening position with TSA.