Racialized policing

"Policing is a controversial subject, that generates considerable debate. One issue of concern has been "racial profiling" by police, that is, the alleged practice of targeting individuals and groups on the basis of "race." Racialized Policing argues that this debate has been limited both by its individualized frame and the concentration on police relations with people of colour, which results in far less scrutiny given to Aboriginal people's encounters with police. Going beyond the interpersonal level and broadening our gaze, this book exposes the ways in which policing is racialized.Situating the police in their role as 'reproducers of order," Elizabeth Comack draws on the historical record and contemporary cases of Aboriginal-police relations - the shooting ofJ.J. Harper by a Winnipeg police officer in 1988, the revelation of "Starlight Tours"in Saskatoon, and the shooting of Matthew Dumas by a Winnipeg police officer in 200S -as well as interviews conducted with Aboriginal people in Winnipeg's inner-city communities, to explore how race and racism inform the routine practices of police officers and define the cultural frames of reference that officers adopt in their encounters with Aboriginal people. Arguing that resolution requires a fundamental transformation in the structure and organization of policing, Racialized Policing makes suggestions for re-framing the role of police and the "order" they reproduce." --Back cover.