'Overly broad' US racial profiling guidelines criticized for 'huge loopholes'

Civil rights advocates have slammed the US Justice Department for new anti-racial profiling policies that exclude the local police departments.

According to The Washington Times, the Justice Department on Monday announced new "stricter policies" forbidding the use of profiling by federal law enforcement officers, but the guidelines - which don't apply to local police departments - were immediately criticized by civil rights advocates as being overly broad and riddled with loopholes

The anti-racial policy states that "race, ethnicity, gender, national origin, religion, sexual orientation or gender identity" will not be taken into account by federal officers unless it was for an investigation.

During a meeting at a Baptist church in Atlanta last week, Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. said that the policy change was imminent, adding that profiling by law enforcement was "not only wrong," but also "profoundly misguided and ineffective."

He said that it was imperative that possible action was taken to institute strong and sound policing practices in the wake of recent incidents seen at the local level, and the widespread concerns about trust in the criminal justice process.