In general, experience is very valuable and can help in making decisions or making judgments. This is especially true for law enforcement, given the nature of their work. Police often have to make decisions based on little specific information. Similarly, experience can have a negative impact on an agent's decision-making process. Likewise, experience can lead to prejudice. Humans all carry cultural baggage that can directly affect our actions and decisions. This is by no means an attempt to justify every choice an agent may make, but it may explain an inherent reason for the decision. However, it is also important to remember that the police have various powers, such as authority, force and discretion. Each of these powers has significant importance and at the same time creates a venue for the abuse of these powers. The definition of racial profiling clearly shows how discriminatory it is. Racial profiling is described as "any action initiated by police that is based on race, ethnic or national origin rather than on an individual's behavior or information that leads police to a particular individual who has been identified as being, or having been, engaged in criminal activities” (Ramirez, D., McDevitt, J. and Farrell, A., 2000). Generally, officers will use profiles created on the basis of race as reasonable suspicion against an individual. Is race a better way to consider someone suspicious or is displayed behavior a better option? It is not wrong to create suspicious profiles. For example, typologies are a way of constructing criminal profiles, based on patterns of behavior and activity. Criminologists develop typologies based on criteria “that are important in distinguishing one criminal from another...... middle of article ......edition. Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc. Kelly, CT, Unit 2: Lecture, University of Everest Online, July 25, 2010. Meadows, RJ (2010). Understanding Violence and Victimization, 5th Edition. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc. Pollock, J. M. (2010). Ethical Dilemmas and Decisions in Criminal Justice, Sixth Edition. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Cengage Learning. Ramirez, D., McDevitt, J., & Farrell, A. (2000). A resource guide to racial profiling data collection systems: promising practices and lessons learned. Retrieved August 4, 2010 from http://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/bja/184768.pdf Thompson, WE and Bynum JE (2010). Juvenile delinquency: a sociological approach, eighth edition. Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc. Hickey, TJ, Taking Sides: Clashing Perspectives on Crime and Criminology, 9th Edition, New York: McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.., 2010