In Maryland, incident data are collected on racial, religious, and ethnic conflicts. Such data will help define the problem, identify the targets of bias-motivated violence and harassment, and contribute to an analysis of causes. Overall, the information on bias-motivated offenses can help the police develop a strategy of action. One of the goals of the legislative mandate for the collection of hate-crime data is to determine the nature and extent of the activity of hate groups in Maryland. Another goal is to provide data for the human relations agencies in the State to help them understand where and what kinds of cultural and community conflicts are occurring. Good offense reporting and analysis will also encourage more reporting, not only by the victims, but also by witnesses and governmental agencies. The primary advantage of data collection and analysis is to provide the empirical basis necessary to bring the problem to the community and to appropriate governmental agencies in concrete form. A data collection system for bias-motivated incidents requires that police be trained to recognize a bias-motivated incident and collect the required information.