Homeland security and Racial Profiling

The first response to getting a notification that one of the applicants filed for an EEOC against the fire department is notifying and preserving. I would ensure that relevant and appropriate individuals in the legal fire department are aware of the EEOC charges. The second action is ensuring that all documents such as emails, files and any other relevant document related to the discrimination charge are readily available. I will also notify all the people to be aware of the lawsuit. Instructing all managerial workers not discuss the allegation especially in public (Glover, 2009).

My initial reaction to the EEOC charge against the fire department. I would be astonished and shocked because all the procedures were followed from the beginning to the end of the process. As the captain of the fire department, I tested the applicants without any bias. The Thirty-five applicants were shortlisted for the volunteer force based on merit only. Ten out of the twenty applicants passed the oral interview satisfactorily. All analytic procedures were carried out genuinely and uniformly. Only one applicant had been recently arrested for theft for the last three years (Glover, 2009).

Racial profiling can be defined as a discriminatory practice by law enforcement authorities of isolating and targeting persons for suspicious crimes based on their race, ethnic background, religion or national background. Coming up with a profile. On all types of people who perpetrate specific crimes may lead police officers to generalize and target a particular group of people. Hence, they may conclude an individual based on racial profiling rather than judging a specific behavior for themselves. Some of the actions that the fire department might have taken that could have led to accusations of racial profiling are on a keen background check of the applicants, one of them had been arrested for theft for the past three years. His disposition revealed that a plea to a lesser crime had been entered and the applicant was on a six-month probation. The applicant was denied a chance to be part of the volunteer task force (Glover, 2009).

 The first step that can be taken in investigating the claim is by meeting with the applicant filing the complaint. The meeting will give him the opportunity to discuss situations and circumstances he thinks might have played a part in his discrimination. The information provided by the complainant should remain confidential. I would then assure him of the commitment of the fire department to promote fair procedures and workplace equality. The second step I would take is transcribing the notes from the meeting and compose a well-written statement. Reviewing of the report should be done by the applicant and myself. The third step is to evaluate the applicant's statement and laws that can be applied to prohibit the offense from happening shortly. Another step is researching on previous fire department employee relations files whether there has ever been such and a case in the past (Eeb-Sossa,2013).

All staff members should be interrogated to get a full picture of what transpired during the recruitment process. Employers should need to investigate any complaint of illegal activity or behavior filed against the fire department (Eeb-Sossa, 2013).

 

Based on what I have learned on the topic of employment and labor relations laws, I believe the case was a discriminatory event. First of all, Labor and employment laws focus on broad and wide areas of laws that administrate and guide the rights and responsibilities of employers and employees. Most of the governing rules are meant to maintain workers' safety and ensure they are handled somewhat, although the laws also safeguard the interests of the employers. Employment laws are composed of federal and state laws, legislations, administrative laws and court opinions. Chosen employment relationships may also be controlled or governed by a contract. Many of the employment disputes can be handled through this laws perfectly well (Eeb-Sossa,2013).

Discrimination in the work environments is another fundamental basis upon which the laws are founded. The employment and labors rules do not allow an individual to be discriminated against or treated differently from any other workers. Any individual who wishes to pursue discrimination claims hire lawyers and follow due procedures which allows them the right- to- sue letter from the equal opportunity commissions. Employers also hire lawyers to defend their organizations against these lawsuits and ensure appropriate laws are followed before termination of the case (Eeb-Sossa, 2013).

I believe that the fire department genuinely discriminated the applicant who pressed the EEOC complaint due to his race, Hispanic and past criminal record. Although it is not very sure that he was discriminated due to his race and criminal record, he has characteristics of a victim of racial profiling. First of all, he was the only applicant who had a criminal and had a Hispanic background. Whether a person has a criminal recorded or not, they must be given a chance to earn an honest living through employment.

 

 

 

 

 

 

References

 

Eeb-Sossa, N. (2013). Doing good: Racial tensions and workplace inequalities at a community clinic in El Nuevo South.

Glover, K. S. (2009). Racial profiling: Research, racism, and resistance. Lanham, Md: Rowman & Littlefield.