"Racial" and "Religious" Profiling Now--or Death Later

"If You See Something, Say Something™" the DHS slogan goes (yes, it is trademarked). "It takes a community to protect a community," the feds continue. "Informed, alert communities play a critical role in keeping our nation safe." No doubt. But the best information in the world is of little use if social pressure prevents one from disclosing it. Such was the case before the San Bernardino tragedy, when a man living near terrorist Syed Farook's Redlands home noticed suspicious-looking Middle Eastern men in the area. But he "decided not to report anything," wrote CBS Los Angeles, "since he did not wish to racially profile those people." Ah, the power of a lie--to silence. And to kill. And it's time to kill that lie. This starts with grasping a simple truth: There is no such thing as "racial profiling" or "religious profiling" per se. There is only good criminal profiling and bad criminal profiling. The good variety considers all relevant factors, based on sound criminological science, regardless of political concerns. The bad kind discriminates unjustly among those factors and only allows greater suspicion and scrutiny of people who aren't politically favored.