The recent arrest by Cambridge, Mass., Police Sgt. James Crowley of renowned scholar Dr. Henry Louis Gates has touched off yet another debate regarding police profiling the Black community and disproportionate arrests of minorities, particularly African-American men. Countless high-profile research studies have revealed a great disparity in police stops and arrests of African-American men as compared to Whites, thus it should come as no surprise that some element of police biases do exist in law enforcement. What is apparent and missing from the dialogue on police profiling minorities is the dark side of the coin that asks the question, “is there a shared responsibility between the African-American community and policing that co-equally contribute to the disparity figures”? 

As a criminal justice professor at a predominately minority serving institution, I commonly inquire of the students whether they would pursue a career in law enforcement.  Without fail, out of an average class size of 20 students, no greater than two students will raise their hand. When I ask why not, common responses are “I don’t like police,” “too many negative experiences with the police,” “I don’t want to be a snitch,” and “the police in my neighborhood are crooked and only harass people instead of helping.” Typically, these truth sessions open up a teaching moment that most academicians love when I begin to discuss the multitude of benefits and opportunities a career in law enforcement offers. But, to no avail, the students are settled to not want to pursue law enforcement, and most continue to house a deep-seated negative opinion about police. Why does this young generation, so removed from the Civil Rights and Social Justice movements of the 1960s and 1970s, have such resentment and hatred for police? Are police across America truly engaged in an aggressive campaign to harass and arrest Blacks and other ethnic minorities?  More common answers to these questions center on beliefs of conspiracy theories, which I do not attest to be true, at least on this subject matter.