Headnote:

 Motorists are fighting back against unfair stops and searches

 Robert L. Wilkins, a Harvard-educated Washington attorney, was traveling along Interstate 68 a few years ago,
 returning from his grandfather's funeral, when a Maryland state trooper pulled the family's rented Cadillac over
 for speeding. When the trooper asked to search the car and its contents, Wilkins refused. But the trooper set
 loose a drug-sniffing dog to comb the car's exterior, including the windshield, the hubcaps, and the taillights. No
 drugs were found. Says Wilkins: "We were completely humiliated:'

 Wilkins is among hundreds of American motorists who claim to be victims of "racial profiling," the police
 practice of stopping and searching African-American and Hispanic drivers at rates far disproportionate to their
 numbers on the road.

 "Driving while black," as the phenomenon has come to be known, flared anew last week when New Jersey Gov.
 Christine Todd Whitman fired the state police superintendent, Carl Williams, for saying that while he did not
 condone racial profiling, minorities were responsible for most of the country's illegal drug trade. The Williams
 incident gave momentum to a grass-roots campaign by civil rights groups to make minority motorists more
 aware of their rights.

 Statistics on racial profiling are controversial, but in a recent study, Temple University Pro John Lamberth
 determined that about 75 percent of the motorists and traffic violators along one stretch of Interstate 95 were
 white, but 80 percent of searches were of minorities.

 Grateful Dead. Anecdotal evidence of racial profiling has been accumulating for years. Prominent
 African-Americans, including actors Blair Underwood and Wesley Snipes and former Los Angeles District
 Attorney Christopher Darden, have been stopped by police, allegedly for no other reason than the color of their
 skin. Even white youths with long hair, beards, or Grateful Dead stickers are targeted, lawyers say.

 Police insist they don't engage in profiling, but Williams, in the remarks that got him fired, cited
 disproportionately high drug arrests for minorities. While blacks comprise only about 13 percent of the
 population, statistics show they make up 35 percent of all drug arrests and 55 percent of all drug convictions.
 Nevertheless, civil rights advocates say Williams's remarks reflect a pattern of stereotyping by police. When
 police look for minorities, critics say, it is minorities they will arrest.

 (Photograph Omitted)

 Captioned as: Robert Wilkins sued the Maryland State Police for stopping his family and searching the car.

 Increasingly, targets of racial profiling are challenging the practice in court-and winning. Sgt. David Smith, an
 Indiana state trooper, won a legal settlement from the Carmel, Ind., police department after he was pulled over
 while driving an unmarked car. Wilkins, the Washington lawyer, won $95,000 from the Maryland State Police, as
 well as an agreement by the agency to keep records to help prevent discrimination.

 On the national level, the American Civil Liberties Union and other grassroots groups, such as Citizens
 Opposing Profiled Police Stops, are pushing for legislation that would require the federal government to study
 traffic stops and to note the race and ethnicity of motorists detained. In the meantime, they are soliciting
 motorists' complaints. You can call COPPS at (757) 624-6620 or visit its Web site (www.copps.org).

 Sidebar:

 If you're stopped. . .

 Sidebar:

 Civil rights lawyers say racial profiling is illegal. But a 1996 Supreme Court decision allows police to stop cars
 for traffic violations, even if the purpose is, say, searching for weapons or drugs. Here, lawyers say, is what to do
 if you are stopped:

 * Know your rights. Just because the police ask to search your car, you don't have to allow them to. You may
 politely, but firmly, say no.

 Sidebar:

 * Don't argue. If you refuse to let them search, police may try to detain you by the road. You may ask: "Am I free
 to leave now?" It is unwise to be contentious.

 * Take names. If you believe police have violated your rights, write down information, such as their names,
 badge numbers, and license plate numbers.

 * Take action. You may file a complaint against the police or sue. Talk to an attorney or your local office of the
 NAACP or ACLU.