According to some organizations, including the American Civil Liberties Union, racial profiling has become a major issue in the United States, and the president’s proposed border security and immigration policies may be fueling the conversation more, but Carson County Sheriff Loren Brand said his office simply follows the law and expects those he and his deputies serve to do the same.

“Racial profiling policies are in place, including complaint procedures and regular review of video by supervisory staff is conducted in accordance with law,” sheriff Loren Brand said on his Facebook page in an email to GroomTigerTimes. “We remain vigilant and are always aware of the culturally diverse nature of our society.”

Carson County’s main focus, according to Brand, is to enforce the law and protect people, no matter their race or ethnicity.

“The Carson County Sheriff’s Office requires that deputies be fair and firm when it comes to matters of driving safety,” Brand said.  “We focus on violations that may endanger anyone traveling the roads in our jurisdiction.”

According to American Civil Liberties Union, this may not be the case in other parts of the United States.

“It (racial profiling) occurs every day, in cities and towns across the country,” the ACLU website states, “when law enforcement and private security target people of color for humiliating and often frightening detentions, interrogations, and searches without evidence of criminal activity and based on perceived race, ethnicity, national origin, or religion.”

According to several media reports, including this 2016 round-up of data and studies from Vanity Fair, racial profiling fears have become a common concern in society.

“We rely on the police to protect us from harm and promote fairness and justice in our communities,” the ACLU said on it’s site. “But racial profiling has led countless people to live in fear, casting entire communities as suspect simply because of what they look like, where they come from, or what religion they adhere to.”

Sheriff Brand said his Facebook posts detailing reports of crime can receive thousands of hits, and his office often gets calls from media outlets and other groups questioning if race was a factor in some of the incidents that have occurred in Carson County. But, he said his officers are focused on enforcing the law and keeping residents safe, not the race of the suspects or the residents that they encounter.

“We treat everyone … in the same professional manner.”