Audio Transcript

Mollie Halpern: FBI statistics show the number of hate crime incidents increased about 17 percent in 2017 when compared to the year before.

Unit Chief Amy Blasher breaks down the numbers in the report, which are part of the Bureau’s Uniform Crime Reporting Program, or UCR.

Amy Blasher: Fifty-eight percent of hate crimes committed were based on the offenders’ bias against victims’ race, ethnicity, and ancestry. Twenty-two percent of the hate crimes were based on the offenders’ bias against religion.

Halpern: Also on the rise is the number of law enforcement agencies from across the country who voluntarily submitted the data to the FBI.

Blasher: Having an increase in participating agencies allows us to have a more complete picture of hate crime incidents throughout the nation.

Halpern: To encourage all local law enforcement agencies to participate, the UCR and the FBI’s Civil Rights Unit will conduct six joint hate crime training sessions beginning in January 2019.

Blasher: The training will focus on how to report hate crime data to the FBI as well as help develop strategies to address and prevent hate crime.

Halpern: To see the full report, visit fbi.gov. With FBI, This Week, I’m Mollie Halpern of the Bureau.