Profiling

So Assemblyman Dov Hikind (D-Brooklyn) has come out for racial and ethnic profiling to "protect" NY residents from terrorism. He says:

e doesn't want cops hesitating to stop potential terror suspects, especially younger Muslim men with Middle Eastern or South Asian backgrounds, out of fear of reprimands or civil lawsuits.

"We have to use whatever tools that we would not ordinarily use. In a time of war, we do things that we would not,"

Ahh yes ye olde "In time of war" argument. Of course Mr. Hikind failed to mention that there are potential terror suspects who are not Middle Eastern or South Asian but we'll give the ones from the Caucasus mountains a pass. And of course though he didn't mention it, we know African Muslims are on the menu as well, though we already know the NYPD doesn't need a terrorist angle in order to "apprehend" African suspects. Usually a wallet is enough "probable cause".

What is perhaps the worst part of this report is that the proposed legislation has the backing of Assemblywoman Vivian Cook

You would think "sista girl" would have more sense, but I guess not. Since the "war on terrorism" is projected to be a "long" effort, then such legislation would be permanent. Furthermore, if passed, and if it survives court challenges, then it sets a precedent for legalized profiling for other "crimes" and so called "crime prone" ethnic and racial groups.

Ultimately profiling is a sign of weak investigative work and is simply unconstitutional.

Technorati Tags: politics, US Constitution