ACPD Racial Profiling Policy

Letter from the Chief

The following information reflects the current Arkansas City Police Department Racial Profiling Policy. This policy has been on the books at the Arkansas City Police Department for many years. This is the standard by which we hold our officers accountable. As we move to comply with Senate Bill #77 by July of 2006, this policy will have some minor changes and additions to include statistical information on arrest and traffic citations issued by the department’s officers. If any citizen of our city feels they have been treated unequally because of their race, ethnic characteristics, gender, sexual orientation, or religion, please contact our department and a supervisor will assist you in your complaint.

Sean E. Wallace

Chief of Police

Illegal Racial Profiling Defined

Unequal treatment of any person, including stopping, questioning, detention, or arrest on the basis of their racial or ethnic characteristics, religion, gender, or sexual orientation.

Department Policies

A. Racial and ethnic profiling are totally unacceptable patrol tactics and will not be condoned. The department will utilize various management tools to ensure that racial/ethnic characteristics are not being used in traffic enforcement.

B. Officers are prohibited from stopping, detaining, searching or arresting anyone on the basis of illegal profiling. Officers shall make traffic stops and conduct field interviews only on the basis of reasonable suspicion, and shall make arrests only on the basis of probable cause.

C. This policy shall not preclude officers from stopping a person to offer assistance, such as upon observing a substance leaking from the vehicle, a flat tire, or someone who appears to be ill, lost, or confused. This policy does not prohibit stopping someone suspected of a crime based on a description that includes one or more of those identified attributes, or considering a person’s apparent age when investigating curfew or liquor law violations.