Bill would halt racial profiling in Kansas (if it exists!)

It's called racial profiling -- or more commonly, driving while black or brown. It's how some residents describe being stopped or searched by law enforcement officers simply because of the color of their skin. State Sens. Donald Betts, Jr., D-Wichita, and David Haley, D-Kansas City, say it's a practice they, too, have experienced and are fighting to bring to a stop. Betts and Haley have introduced a bill that would ban racial profiling in the state, set up a citizens' panel to review complaints, require police departments to collect data and make it a misdemeanor for law enforcement officers to target suspects based solely on race. The bill goes before the Senate Federal and State Affairs Committee for a hearing Thursday. The Wichita Police Department opposes the bill, in large part because of the potential financial costs to the department, spokeswoman Janet Johnson said. On a statewide level, the Kansas Association of Chiefs of Police has not taken a position on the bill, said Mike Watson, chairman of the association's legislative committee. The bill, SB 77, defines racial profiling as the practice of relying on race, ethnicity or national origin as the sole factor when determining who to apprehend. It would require law enforcement officers to collect data on the offense committed and the race of anyone they apprehend, among other information. The information would be compiled into a statewide database and made available to the public. [more]

• Area law officials say racial profiling not a problem here [more]
  
• After rallying the troopers, chief says profiling is over. State Police boss vows racial bias won't return.  Five years after state officials admitted racial profiling was a major problem in the New Jersey State Police, the head of the force says the controversial practice has been stamped out and guarantees it never will return. State Police Superintendent Rick Fuentes says troopers no longer stop motorists on the basis of race because of top-to-bottom reforms of how they do their jobs, aggressive recruiting that brought more minorities onto the force and a new computer system that quickly shows if a trooper strays from the rules. "The comfort that I want to give to the public is that the systems are now institutionalized," Fuentes said. "There's nothing here that's going to be rolled back. [more]
  
• NAACP faults senator's profiling plan [more]
• Racial profiling in Virginia. Really? [more] It's not the bill  buddy its the people voting on it.
  
• Bloomington: Inquiry of racial-profiling claim didn't exist [more]
• The bill’s outcomes would be based on statistical information, not emotional allegations or responses. [more] Oh, Thank goodness - those emotional colored people!