Supervisory Challenges Arising from Racial Profiling Legislation

Abstract

This article addresses problems faced by police supervisors who must ensure compliance with legal and organizational requirements of new laws concerning racial profiling. Newresponsibilities and difficulties can be expected in six main areas: (a) equipping officers to deal with new public expectations (and misunderstandings) about racial profiling, (b) dealing with instances of “monkey-wrenching” resistance, (c) mediating disputes and citizen complaints, (d) handling cases of discipline and morale problems, (e) selling the program to subordinates (perhaps the most important duty of all), and (f) “managing up” within the organization to provide appropriate resources. In some jurisdictions, supervisors will face a seventh requirement: attending at the scene of any consent search. The article looks only briefly at the distinction between intentional targeting of minorities for unequal treatment and the more insidious influence of cultural biases and stereotypes: The focus is rather on the day-to-day ensuring of compliance. By extension, the article addresses the concerns of street-level officers.