Tue, Jul 8, 2008 (2:08 a.m.)

Racial and ethnic profiling by law enforcement agencies is one of the most polarizing issues in this country. An example is the black motorist who says he was stopped by a patrol officer for reasons that are not equally applied to white drivers.

Since the 9/11 attacks, there has been much debate about whether authorities in this country should use racial and ethnic profiling to identify suspected terrorists. Most commonly, this has meant shining the spotlight on Americans who are Muslim or have Arabic surnames. Where civil liberties are concerned, this is certainly a slippery slope.

It could get a lot more treacherous if the Justice Department follows through on an idea to let the FBI investigate Americans without any evidence of wrongdoing. As the Associated Press reported last week, such investigations would be triggered by terrorist profiles that would include race and ethnicity along with the individual’s access to weapons or military training, and travel to foreign countries known for terrorist activity.

There is certainly a need to keep an eye on Americans who travel to rogue nations such as Iran, Syria and North Korea. It is also reasonable to keep tabs on individuals with large stockpiles of weapons far beyond those kept by hunters and gun collectors, and on people with explosives. But racial and ethnic profiling is far more problematic, especially as it applies to terrorism.

Not all terrorists have Arabic surnames or practice the Muslim faith. Just ask Europeans. If we resort to profiling, terrorist outfits such as al-Qaida are certain to exploit that loophole and recruit sympathizers who do not match those characteristics.

The FBI has found itself in hot water in the past for investigating Americans without evidence of wrongdoing. The tenure of the late agency director J. Edgar Hoover was scarred by such controversy. There is no question that American law enforcement agencies need to do more to beef up their intelligence capabilities to defuse potential terrorist attacks. But there has to be a better way than relying on race or ethnicity.