MCSD Reports - Ethnicity

Over the past few years a fair amount of attention has been focused on the McHenry County Sheriff's Department, after a deputy began complaining about racial profiling. In fact, he got fired because he had complained about racial profiling.

How do I know that? The Sheriff's attorney said so in Federal Court.

How might a person's ethnicity be reported on a McHenry County Sheriff's Department report now?

Should reporting be done in a manner that would allow the reporting to be used for compiling records? Of course, past questions about "race" and "ethnicity" come to mind. A person might be black or white or something other color. An issue was raised about whether Mexican or Hispanic was a race. Even on the 2010 U. S. Census, as I recall, Hispanic was not to be considered a "race".

Now, what is "Non-Hispanic" in response on the report form for Ethnicity? If a suspect in custody is "Non-Hispanic", what is his ethnicity? Obviously, not Hispanic. But what is it? Is "Non-Hispanic" the only other choice?

Steve, subject of this week's series of articles about a "non-arrest", is "Non-Hispanic".