Racism, profiling or good old fashioned police work?

Last week members of the Winnipeg Police Auto Theft group watched as a Chrysler 300 driven by a black man in gangsta-wear drove through a Starbucks lot twice in quick succession. That aroused their suspicions and the license plate was called into dispatch. The word came back: the car was stolen and off they went after them.

A few blocks later they and other police officers conducted a high risk take-down. Remember Winnipeg is a hostile environment where police officers are being deliberately targeted by car thieves. Several times this year punks have driven directly at police as they attempt to apprehend the punks.

In this case they had no idea who the driver was. He was black. He was dressed like a hood. He was driving a car not normally associated with a black man dressed as a hood. And they understood the vehicle was stolen.

So the police took the driver and passenger down as they would any other perp in any other situation. Guns removed from holsters, drawn and pointed at the bad guys. Forced to the ground. Then cuffed and placed into the back seat of a cruiser.

Only then did the police check the drivers ID, insurance and registration. Only then did the police realize their mistake. Only then were the driver and his passenger released.

Oops. Mistakes happen. The police officer at the scene apologized. The police chief apologized.

Was this profiling? Did the police act differently because the driver was black? Would the police act differently were the driver white but still dressed as a punk gangsta?

Watch the TV show COPS. Not every car pulled over results in a guns drawn and pointed scenario, but a goodly portion of them are. Unfortunately this is what our society has evolved to. There is such a lack of respect that the police simply don't feel safe in what at one time was a pretty innocuous event.

Call it racial profiling if that helps one's holier than thou attitude. The simple fact is the vast majority of crime is conducted by certain people. These people dress in a certain way. Combine these elements in a car not normally seen in those hands and there is cause for suspicion.

Place yourself in the role of the police officer here. They watch a car twice roll through the Starbucks drive through in quick succession. That is a little out of the ordinary wouldn't you agree? So the police did what we expect of them: check the vehicle out. That led to the unfortunate set of circumstances.

Now put yourself back in the role of police officer again. They notice the suspicious activity and do nothing. And it turns out it was a couple hoods casing the joint and eventually robbed it. I bet the uber-righteous amongst us would come down so hard on the police.

Can't win situation in my view.