NVAA 2000 Text

Chapter 22 Supplement Special Topics


Section 1, Hate and Bias Crime

Statistical Overview

Recent Initiatives

(Portions of the following section are summarized from Addressing Hate Crimes: Six Initiatives That Are Enhancing the Efforts of Criminal Justice Practitioners, Bureau of Justice Assistance, February 2000, Washington, DC, NCJ 179559.)

The Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) of the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has developed four pilot programs to enhance the ability of law enforcement and prosecutorial agencies to recognize, respond to, investigate, prosecute, and prevent hate crimes. Each program includes material to assist in the development of victim sensitive hate crime scene response, and victims' assistance and support throughout the criminal justice process.

National hate crime training initiative. A working group of prosecutors, law enforcement, victim services, and training agencies brought together by the Department of Justice has developed four training curricula on hate crimes, each designed for a different level of law enforcement: patrol and responding officers, investigators and detectives, supervisors and command officers, and an audience of all levels of law enforcement professionals. Each curriculum provides trainers with lesson plans and training materials for an eight-hour course that covers the following topics:

A national initiative has been developed and implemented to train teams of trainers who commit to conducting a minimum of four hate crime training events within their states. In total, seventy-eight teams were selected from fifty states and the District of Columbia; this has resulted in the training of more than 4,000 law enforcement and other criminal justice professionals.

In an effort to address the training needs of officers who do not receive the eight-hour training on hate crime investigation, BJA developed two other resources for learning the basics of hate crime response: BJA's Roll Call Video and the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) publication, Responding to Hate Crimes: A Police Officer's Guide to Investigation and Prevention, which was funded by BJA and OVC (see below).

Roll Call Video: Responding to Hate Crimes. This twenty-minute film covers major areas of hate crime investigation and response, including training on the identification of bias indicators; appropriate first responses to potential hate crimes; investigative procedures for potential hate crimes; evidence collection and presentation; understanding and responding appropriately to victim trauma; maintaining positive community relations when responding to hate crimes; and resources available to officers. Every state, county, and municipal law enforcement agency in the nation will receive a copy of the video, along with an instructor's handbook that provides answers to frequently asked questions about hate crimes.

Responding to Hate Crimes: A Police Officer's Guide to Investigation and Prevention. This IACP publication consists of two training tools: a twelve-page in-depth guidebook that covers major components of an effective response to and investigation of hate crimes, and a pocket guide on investigative procedures. The guidebook has a written checklist that covers the essential components of an effective response to hate crimes, including a definition of hate crimes; an explanation of the difference between hate crimes and bias incidents; key indicators of bias motivation; steps to take at the scene of a possible hate crime; sensitive, effective approaches to assisting victims of hate crimes; and strategies that police departments and officers can take in their communities to prevent hate crimes. The pocket guide addresses the key issues an officer faces at the scene of a hate crime, e.g., effective hate crime response, actions to be taken at the crime scene, key indicators of hate crimes, and ways to meet the needs of hate crime victims. The IACP, with funding from BJA and OVC, will print and distribute 450,000 copies of the publication to police departments and victim advocates across the nation.

Resource Guide for Prosecutors. Currently in development, the American Prosecutors Research Institute's (APRI) Resource Guide for Prosecutors will provide prosecuting offices with a comprehensive resource guide for responding to hate crimes. It will also highlight model protocols and procedures from around the nation to help prosecutors' offices develop policies and procedures relevant to handling hate crime investigations and prosecutions. The material covers issues that arise during hate crime prosecutions, including procedures for working with outside agencies and organizations; case screening, investigation, assignment and preparation; victim and witness impact and support; trial preparation; sentencing alternatives; and prevention efforts. APRI will distribute a copy of the resource guide to all 3,100 local and state prosecutors' offices in the country.

Promising Practices

Back to Table of Contents

2000 NVAA Text
Chapter 22.1