Bias Incident Response Team (B.I.R.T.)

News Related to Hate Crimes

Hate Crimes and Bias Incidents Reported On Campus

This section of the website will contain information about recent bias incidents and hate crimes reported on campus. 

October 27, 2008

FBI Releases 2007 Hate Crime Statistics

Today, the Federal Bureau of Investigation released statistics which indicated that 7,624

criminal incidents involving 9,006 offenses were reported in 2007 as a result of bias

toward a particular race, religion, sexual orientation, ethnicity/national origin, or

physical or mental disability. Hate Crime Statistics, 2007, published by the FBI’s

Uniform Crime Reporting Program, includes data from hate crime reports submitted by

law enforcement agencies throughout the Nation.

Hate Crime Statistics, 2007, includes the following information:

• Of the 7,621 single-bias incidents, 50.8 percent were motivated by a racial

bias,

• 18.4 percent were motivated by a religious bias, 16.6 percent were motivated

by a sexual-orientation bias, and 13.2 percent were motivated by an

ethnicity/national origin bias. One percent involved a bias against a disability.

• There were 5,408 hate crime offenses classified as crimes against persons in

2007. Intimidation accounted for 47.4 percent of crimes against persons,

simple assaults for 31.1 percent, and aggravated assaults for 20.6 percent.

Nine murders were reported as hate crimes.

• There were 3,579 hate crime offenses classified as crimes against property;

most of these (81.4 percent) were acts of destruction/damage/vandalism.

The remaining 18.6 percent of crimes against property consisted of robbery,

burglary, larceny-theft, motor vehicle theft, arson, and other offenses.

• Of the 6,965 known offenders, 62.9 percent were white and 20.8 percent were

black. The race was unknown for 9.8 percent, and other races accounted for

the remaining known offenders.

Hate Crime Statistics, 2007 U.S. Department of Justice—Federal Bureau of Investigation

Released October 2008

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• The largest percentage (30.5 percent) of hate crime incidents occurred in or

near homes. Also, 18.9 percent took place on highways, roads, alleys, or

streets; 11.3 percent happened at schools or colleges; 6.0 percent in parking

lots or garages; and 4.1 percent in churches, synagogues, or temples. The

remaining 29.3 percent of hate crime incidents took place at other specified

locations, multiple locations, or other/unknown locations.

Source:  http://www.fbi.gov/ucr/hc2007/index.html