A Totality of Information and Indications

Demolocke’s Agenda Article/Post Caveat (Read First Please: Click the Link)

Recent articles have covered things like profiling and now we have the, “Stop-n-Frisk” debate due to one of the two presidential candidates. This article is not about them, it is about the stop-n-frisk process. Like profiling, it has come under fire by the few with enough outrage and the loudest verbal diatribe type violence that triggered the principle of social proof so that it becomes a hot topic in emotionally changed situations.

Here is the rub, I think under the right circumstances and according to a collection of indicators authorities should stop and frisk. It is a dangerous slope to which this slips and slides that can lead to security and safety of society as well as political, social and individual damage be it psychological, physical or both. 

This “Tool” of authorities has to be connected with profiling as I see it (see profiling article). You cannot and should not focus on any one or two indicators of the profiling goals be it criminal profiling, environmental social conditions profiling or other such profiling processes. It should be a culmination of indicators with support in accepted proofs that when added up provide a solid indicator of social safety and security danger that actions can be taken such as stop and frisk. 

Example: A person is walking with a particular body language that indicates an interview process with a furtive movement to check under a shirt or at the back out of view area of the waist along with facial indicators and other criminal actions/indicators well known to authorities and professionals then should indicate to responders/authorities that it is a good idea to stop the person and frisk/search them for weapons. 

This comes down to proper, reality-based and proven training, practice and experience processes. This set of proven known criteria, or indicators, must become second nature to those professionals who would make use of such tools as profiling and stop-n-frisk. Any violations of the processes, etc., does and has had huge ramifications but the answer to missteps in both process is not to ban them completely. It is like saying that if one person is shot by authorities through mistakes and/or fault on the part of the shooter we remove and ban police and military from all firearms while expecting them to do the job - Ludicrous, ridiculous and just plain stupid. 

It requires awareness, observational skills expertise and several known and approved indicators/tells that must be processed in appropriate situations before applying not just these tools but any tool-set that may result in safety and security dangers to the authorities and also to the public regardless of whether innocent or not.