Maryland has enacted a data collection law and gathers information relating to racial, religious, and ethnic conflicts. Reports can be analyzed to determine the nature of the incidents and the emerging trends. Good reporting and analysis will also encourage more reporting by victims, communities, and governmental agencies. A good reporting and analysis system also communicates to victims that government cares. For data collection to be effective, responsibilities for investigations must be clearly specified through agency policies. In Maryland, 5 years of data revealed that most incidents were vandalisms, 30 percent were assaults, 75 percent were racial, 15 percent were religious, many offenders were age 20 and under, and white and black females age 31-50 were often victims.