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Advocates Find Stereotypes In Police Materials

TOWSON, Md. (AP) ―

Attorneys in a racial profiling lawsuit against the Maryland State Police say some training documents contain startling examples of racial stereotypes about Hispanics.

The documents were included in a court filing in Baltimore County Circuit Court.

For example, one document cautions that Hispanics generally do not hold their alcohol well. They tend to drink too much and this leads to fights. And it notes, Hispanic males are raised to be MACHO and brave, while females are raised to be subservient. Other sterotypes include the assertion that the weapon of choice for Hispanics is a knife and that Hispanics are reluctant to learn English.

Betty A. Stemley, the head attorney for the state police says the documents do not appear to have been part of the agency's formal training manual and there's no evidence they were ever presented to troopers.

(© 2008 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

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