Summary of Responses to Hate Crimes
The table below summarizes the responses to hate crimes, the mechanism by which they are intended to work, the conditions under which they ought to work best, and some factors you should consider before implementing a particular response. It is critical that you tailor responses to local circumstances, and that you can justify each response based on reliable analysis. In most cases, an effective strategy will involve implementing several different responses. Law-enforcement responses alone are seldom effective in reducing or solving the problem.
..Response No. | Response | How It Works | Works Best If...... | Considerations |
---|---|---|---|---|
General Considerations for an Effective Response Strategy | ||||
1 | Prioritizing the response to hate crime within the police department | Encourages victim reporting, enhances the likelihood of solving hate crimes, and promotes public confidence in police | .....officers and the public are routinely reminded of the department's commitment to addressing hate crimes; specialist units or officers are designated to respond to hate crimes | Establishing specialized hate-crime units will not always be feasible for smaller agencies |
2 | Establishing multi-agency task forces | Facilitates information sharing about and enhances resources to address hate crimes | .....participating agencies are equally committed to responding to hate crimes | Interagency protocols are useful for clarifying responsibilities and policies |
Specific Responses to Reduce Hate Crimes | ||||
3 | Training police officers | Increases the department's ability to identify and investigate hate crimes | ....the training includes multiple examples and opportunities for actively applying what is learned to specific cases; training is coordinated with other community partners | Different employees have somewhat different training needs |
4 | Responding to hate-crime victims' needs | Reduces psychological trauma to victims and encourages other victims to report to police | ....initial responding officers treat victims with sensitivity and professionalism | Specialized language translation and victim assistance may be required |
5 | Increasing police presence and attention in high-risk neighborhoods | Deters hate-crime activity and reassures at-risk communities | ....data clearly indicates high-risk areas | Many police agencies lack the resources to significantly enhance police presence |
6 | Monitoring hate | Promotes public confidence in police and improves police ability to detect and prevent hate crimes; deters unlawful hate activity | ....public is aware of police actions in addressing hate crimes | Police must be mindful of legal restrictions on monitoring groups and inhibiting free speech and right to publicly assemble |
7 | Reaching out to minority communities | Encourages victim reporting of hate crimes; reduces fear in minority communities | ....police are willing and able to communicate effectively with minority communities; police can recommend practical measures to discourage and prevent hate-crime victimization | Some communities may distrust police initially |
8 | Engaging educational institutions and the mass media | Makes large numbers of people aware of hate-crime problems and how to respond to them | ....educational institutions and mass media are willing to acknowledge and discuss the hate-crime problem | Might require persuading decision-makers that hate crime is a problem worthy of special attention |
Responses with Limited Effectiveness | ||||
9 | Treating hate crimes as regular crimes | Deemphasizes the seriousness of the hate element and ignores the impact such crimes can have on the broader community | Not a promising strategy | Research establishes the unique nature of these crimes and the types of impact such crimes produce. Policies and approaches to deal with this issue are necessary |
Free Bound Copies of the Problem Guides
You may order free bound copies in any of three ways:
Online: Department of Justice COPS Response Center
Email: askCopsRC@usdoj.gov
Phone: 800-421-6770 or 202-307-1480
Allow several days for delivery.
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Hate Crimes
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