Mike Neilson's letter, "Racial profiling beneficial for solving certain crimes," March 28, is misguided. It is not racial profiling to conduct a manhunt based on the physical description of a suspect supplied by witnesses. It is racial profiling to use racial stereotypes to predict the occurrence of crime.

Racial profiling is nothing more than a lazy form of police work and does not catch as many criminals as looking for actual indicators of crime. Racial profiling also creates a hostile relationship between minority groups and police departments. In light of the fact that racial profiling is both ineffective and creates tension, what is the purpose for keeping it?