Guest Editor's Introduction

• Date: 01 September 2002
• DOI: 10.1177/109861102129198156
• Published date: 01 September 2002
• Author: Stephen M. Cox
• Subject Matter: Articles

POLICEQUARTERLY(Vol.5,No.3,September 2002)Cox/INTRODUCTION

SPECIAL ISSUE:RACIAL PROFILING

GUEST EDITOR’S INTRODUCTION

STEPHEN M. COX

Central Connecticut State University

Less than a decade ago, there was little knowledge or discussion regarding

the issue of racial profiling among police officers. Although there previ-

ously were concerns and accusations of race-based policing, racial profil-

ing has only recently become a commonly used phrase to describe the dis-

parate treatment of minorities (primarily African Americans and

Hispanics) by police. These accusations were brought to the forefront of

media attention and political campaigns following a large amount of anec-

dotal evidence coupled with several American Civil Liberties Union

(ACLU) lawsuits. Many state and local governments have responded to

these accusations by passing laws forbidding this practice and implement-

ing strategies for monitoring police behavior. One strategyhas been to col-

lect information on the race and ethnicity of individuals involved in traffic

stops. This method of data collection, however, has come under intense

scrutiny, causing the discussion of racial profiling to become a political

debate and an attack on the police rather than an open discussion on whether

this problem exists, the extent of this practice, the root causes, and the public

perception of the police (especially in minority communities).

Although the topic of racial profiling has become commonplace in news-

papers, police magazines, and antipolice Web sites, it has received scant

attention in the academic literature. The deficiency in academic research on

racial profiling is due, at least in part, to the inherent challenges of such

research and the limited number of studies that have been undertaken.

Unfortunately,the lack of academic research and discussion appears to have

hindered the public’s ability to move beyond the “it happens versus it does

not happen” argument. The purpose of this special issue is to present four

POLICE QUARTERLY Vol.5 No. 3, September 2002 270–271

© 2002 Sage Publications

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