African American police officers are concerned about the racial profiling of communities of color by their own agencies

In the wake of the many tragic police shootings of young African-American men in recent years, racial profiling by police has emerged as a significant issue within communities of color. But how is this perceived by African-American police officers? In new survey research Lieutenant Charles P. Wilson, Shirley A. Wilson , and Malane Thou find that a majority of these officers believe that racial profiling not only exists, but that it is condoned by agency supervisors. They also find that these officers feel that their presence was important when dealing with communities of color. They argue that the service of African American police officers has tremendous value, both to the agencies that employ them and to the citizens of their communities.