DOJ: Rising number of police departments are declining to report hate crimes

A rising number of law enforcement agencies are opting not to share statistics about hate crimes with the FBI, at a time where hate crimes are skyrocketing, according to U.S. Justice Department numbers.

The decline in reporting hurts efforts to accurately document violence against Asian Americans, Black Americans, and LGBTQ+ people, advocates and DOJ officials say.

The number of police agencies participating in the FBI’s hate crimes report declined in 2020, the third straight year of decreases. About 88% of cities don’t report hate crimes data.

Last week, Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke told the Senate Judiciary Committee that more than 60% of reported hate crimes were motivated by race and ethnicity. Of those, more than half targeted Black Americans.

“This lack of accurate hate crimes data not only makes it harder for law enforcement to address and prevent hate crimes, but also can cause individuals and communities victimized by acts of hate to believe that law enforcement agencies are not responding to their experiences,” Clarke testified. “Accurate and complete data reporting is needed to ensure that resources deployed match the most pressing needs in our communities.”

In September, Attorney General Merrick Garland said, “preventing and responding to hate crimes was among the Justice Department’s top priorities.”

“These hate crimes and other bias-related incidents instill fear across entire communities and undermine the principles upon which our democracy stands,” he said. “All people in this country should be able to live without fear of being attacked or harassed because of where they are from, what they look like, whom they love or how they worship.”