Under what circumstances may race, ethnicity, or religion be considered in law enforcement?

Under what circumstances may race, ethnicity, or religion be considered in law enforcement?

• A. If there is trustworthy information linking to a criminal incident or threat
• B. In every investigation as a primary factor
• C. Never allowed
• D. To determine sentencing

Answer: (D)

Race, ethnicity, or religion should only be considered when there is trustworthy information that directly links those characteristics to a specific criminal incident or credible threat. In practice, this means including such details as part of a factual, evidence-based description if a witness or other reliable information supports their relevance to the case. It would be inappropriate to use these traits as a general factor in every investigation or as a basis for profiling, since that can lead to bias and civil rights violations. They also should not be used to determine sentencing, as punishment must be based on the crime and the offender’s conduct, not on protected characteristics.

Race, ethnicity, or religion should only be considered when there is trustworthy information that directly links those characteristics to a specific criminal incident or credible threat. In practice, this means including such details as part of a factual, evidence-based description if a witness or other reliable information supports their relevance to the case. It would be inappropriate to use these traits as a general factor in every investigation or as a basis for profiling, since that can lead to bias and civil rights violations. They also should not be used to determine sentencing, as punishment must be based on the crime and the offender’s conduct, not on protected characteristics.