Hate crimes are of major concern for hometowns all across the country.

Recently, NAACP President Cornell Williams Brooks says the number of hate crimes being committed in the United States are, not only numerous, but remaining steady.  “We have at least 200,000 to 300,000 hate crimes in a given year,” Brooks says.

Our partners at PolitiFact Florida took a look at the claim to see if it was accurate.

PolitiFact reporter Joshua Gillin says the statement rated MOSTLY TRUE on the Truth-O-Meter.  He says Mr. Brooks is basing his statement on a survey conducted by the U.S. Justice Department that asks folks if they feel as if they’ve been a victim of a hate crime.  “293,000 people in 2012… they answered that was a positive.  Yes.  They felt they had been the victim of a hate crime,” Gillin said.  He went on to say experts agree that’s a much more accurate picture of the state of hate crimes in the United States.

When compared to the number of hate crimes reported by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the amount is considerably less:  under 5,800.  That’s because police departments must report all hate crimes investigated by their officers.  Not all crimes they investigate meet the criteria of being hate crimes.

 

SOURCES:  Rate of U.S. hate crimes remains steady?

  • Bureau of Justice Statistics, Hate Crime Victimization, 2004-2012, Feb. 2014
  • Bureau of Justice Statistics, Hate Crime Victimization, 2003-2011, March 2013
  • Bureau of Justice Statistics, Hate Crime Victimization, 2003-2009, June 2011
  • FBI Uniform Crime Reports, 2013 Hate Crime Statistics
  • FBI Uniform Crime Reports, 2012 Hate Crime Statistics
  • CNN, Face the Nation, June 21, 2015
  • Interview, Brian Levin, Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism, June 23, 2015
  • Interview, Jack Levin, Brudnick Center on Violence and Conflict, June 23, 2015
  • Interview, Michael Lieberman, Washington Counsel to the Anti-Defamation League, June 23, 2015
  • Interview, Lynn Langton, Bureau of Justice Statistics, June 23, 2015
  • American Behavioral Scientist, Nolan et al, Assessing the "Statistical Accuracy" of the National Incident-Based Reporting System Hate Crime Data, June 4, 2015
  • Huffington Post, The State of Hate in America, June 19, 2015
  • Anti-Defamation League, FBI 2013 HCSA Did Not Report (DNR) and Zero Reporting, December 2014