Hooray For Profiling?

Most of the criminals I've met didn't look like criminals. Or at least the Hollywood version of criminals. For that matter, most of the drug users I've met didn't look like drug users. It would be nice to pretend that everyone who uses illegal drugs looks like Cheech or Chong but they don't. More often, they look like you or me.

The one murderer I ever met face to face didn't look like a murderer. Nor did he have the haunted expression one would associate with a person who committed such a dastardly crime.

So when I recently received one of those “hooray for profiling” E-mails from a beloved family member, I could not help but think, “I love this family member very much but any message that even hints that profiling on the basis of appearance is a good thing is -- well -- stupid. If for no other reason than it assumes that criminals are stupid.”

Yes, I understand the various reasons overworked law enforcement personnel would want to save time by concentrating on specific groups of people. And I have no problems with profiling on the basis of, say, suspicious behavior.

But appearance? Tell criminals that you're only looking for red-headed midgets and most smart criminals will ensure that the only criminals they use in the public eye aren't short redheads. Indeed, there have already been cases of Muslim terrorists employing would-be hijackers and “suicide” bombers who don't look like Muslims.

It would be nice to think that profiling works. But somehow I'd have more faith in that system if people weren't always recommending that we only profile groups that they don't happen to belong to. After all, it doesn't exactly take a lot of discipline to demand that sacrifices be made by someone other than yourself...