News Release

Racial profiling, killings of arrestees by local police increase

US Department of Justice to step in to curb police misconduct

Peer-Reviewed Publication

SAGE

Los Angeles, CA (April 17, 2012) Deadly police shootings, racial profiling and discriminatory law enforcement are once again in the forefront of national debate. Police killings of unarmed civilians in New Orleans and Seattle have generated local protests and national controversies. Accusations of racial profiling have been lodged against police departments in those and other cities as well as the Maricopa County sheriff's office in Arizona. In addition, the recent shooting of teenager Trayvon Martin by a neighborhood watch coordinator has forced a close examination of authorities' initial investigation of the killing. But what are the real facts about these issues and what is the federal government doing to curb local police misconduct? These important questions are discussed in the April 6, 2012, issue of CQ Researcher, published by CQ Press, an imprint of SAGE.

According to author Kenneth Jost, the federal government's police accountability unit has been reinvigorated after a period of dormancy under President George W. Bush. From 2003 to 2009, killings of arrestees by police rose from 376 in 2003 to 497 in 2009. Over the past year, the U.S. Department of Justice has been aggressively using its power to monitor local police departments and pressuring them to limit the use of excessive force in civilian encounters, eliminate racial profiling and strengthen disciplinary and accountability procedures.

"The Justice Department's oversight of local law enforcement lagged under President Bush," writes Jost. "Obama's selection of civil rights-minded officials for key posts at the Justice Department signaled a likely change in priorities."

The April 6 issue of CQ Researcher discusses the Justice department's new policies in an attempt to answer some important questions:

  • Should police do more to control excessive force?
  • Should police do more to prevent racial and ethnic profiling?
  • Should police adopt stronger disciplinary measures for misconduct?

With careful attention to detail and interviews with a range of experts, the issue also provides a timeline and discussion of the history of police misconduct, a bibliography of major sources on the topic, and the outlook for possible reforms in police department practices and policies.

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To read more about the April 6 issue of CQ Researcher, titled "Police Misconduct: Will Excessive Force, Racial Profiling be Curbed?" visit http://library.cqpress.com/cqresearcher/

For a full PDF copy of the issue, please contact: camille.gamboa@sagepub.com.

Covering today's most important issues and controversial subjects, CQ Researcher has been the choice of students and librarians for over 80 years. Each weekly issue—written by an experienced CQ Press reporter—is an in-depth, single topic report featuring more than 12,000 words of text and extensive bibliographies. http://www.cqpress.com/researcher

CQ Press is a leading publisher of books, directories, reference publications, and textbooks focusing on U.S. government, world affairs, communication, political science, and business, with a growing focus on digital content. Based in Washington DC, CQ Press is an imprint of SAGE, the world's leading independent academic and professional publisher, and is known in classrooms, libraries and professional markets for its objectivity, breadth and depth of coverage, and editorial excellence. www.cqpress.com

SAGE is a leading international publisher of journals, books, and electronic media for academic, educational, and professional markets. Since 1965, SAGE has helped inform and educate a global community of scholars, practitioners, researchers, and students spanning a wide range of subject areas including business, humanities, social sciences, and science, technology, and medicine. An independent company, SAGE has principal offices in Los Angeles, London, New Delhi, Singapore and Washington DC. www.sagepublications.com


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