Supporters of racial profiling argue that this practice is necessary because it cuts down on crime. If certain people are more likely to commit certain kinds of crimes, it makes sense to target them, they say. But racial profiling opponents cite research they say proves the practice is ineffective. For example, since the dawn of the war on drugs in the 1980s, law enforcement agents have disproportionately targeted black and Latino drivers for narcotics. But a number of studies on traffic stops found that white drivers were more likely than their African American and Hispanic counterparts to have drugs on them. This supports the idea that authorities should focus on suspicious individuals rather than on specific racial groups to lower crime. More »