LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — A federal push to educate communities about hate crimes and how to report them made its way to Lexington on Wednesday.
The Department of Justice's 'United Against Hate' program gives people a chance to hear from U.S. and local attorneys, as well as law enforcement agents, about how to identify hate crimes and methods of reporting them.
On Wednesday evening, representatives from the DOJ, FBI and local law enforcement hosted a 'United' discussion at the Lyric Theater.
The latest FBI data shows 7,287 hate crimes were reported in 2021. 130 of those took place in Kentucky.
Criminal justice experts argue that number is misleading, given how many hate crimes go unreported.
"Without those reports, we don't know about them and it's hard for us to prosecute offenders," said U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky, Carlton Shier.
Shier spoke at Wednesday's event, which was just one of 94 planned around the country this year. He said educating people about hate crime prosecution is crucial.
"They need to know what to report, where to report it, and that there are resources for the community," he said.
In order for a crime to be considered a 'hate crime,' a person must be committing a crime based on an individual's protected identity.
The majority of hate crimes in the U.S. in 2021 were based upon race and ethnicity, followed by sexual orientation.
The DOJ lists two steps for reporting hate crimes.
First, victims or witnesses should report the crime to local law enforcement by calling 9-1-1 in emergency situations or calling a local police station.
Second, they should file a report with the FBI online or over the phone at 1-800-225-5324.
