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profiling

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jcejj

Junior Member
I thought that it was not legal for a police officer to run your plate without having a reason to suspect something. Apparently I'm wrong. Could you explain to me then what the law is and how it is they claim to not be profiling?
My state is MA
Thank you
 
Last edited:


Some Random Guy

Senior Member
As has been discussed before in this forum, it is legal for police to run license plates of cars they see, so long as it is for police business.

https://forum.freeadvice.com/showthread.php?t=301239&highlight=license+plate


Could you explain to me then what the law is and how it is they claim to not be profiling?
Profiling is when the police decide to pull you over because you fit some percieved profile of a 'criminal', such as racial profiling.

For racial profiling, the officer thinks "the percentage of african americans in the local prison population is double the local public stats, the driver is black, so he's twice as likely to be a criminal".

Racial profiling can be considered a violation of civil rights and is illegal in some cities/states.

What makes you think that the officer didn't just run 50 plate numbers today and yours happened to have warrants associated?
 

seniorjudge

Senior Member
jcejj said:
I thought that it was not legal for a police officer to run your plate without having a reason to suspect something. Apparently I'm wrong. Could you explain to me then what the law is and how it is they claim to not be profiling?
My state is MA
Thank you
Good answer from SRG....
 

CdwJava

Senior Member
Some Random Guy said:
Profiling is when the police decide to pull you over because you fit some percieved profile of a 'criminal', such as racial profiling.
To clarify, CRIMINAL profiling is lawful ... RACIAL profiling is not. Race CAN be a part of a legitimate criminal profile. To stop and detain someone primarily or solely due to their race is against the law. To use race as but one factor is often lawful.

For instance, if I am working a predominantly Hispanic gang neighborhood and I see a car full of teenage black males driving slow through the barrio late at night, and I know there is friction between the local Hispanic gang and a nearby black gang, I am likely to find some legal reason to pull the car over. However, if it were a car full of slow driving blue-haird old ladies, I would likely not waste my time looking for good cause to make the stop.

- Carl
 

seniorjudge

Senior Member
CdwJava said:
... However, if it were a car full of slow driving blue-haired old ladies, I would likely not waste my time looking for good cause to make the stop....

Carl, those broads are wanted in six states! Arrest them immediately!!!
 

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