Every data point is an individual harmed and a community impacted, and accurate hate crime data is vital to meet the crisis of hate in the United States. Tell your representatives to support the bipartisan Improving Reporting to Prevent Hate Act (H.R.7648) now!

Background

For more than 30 years, despite incomplete and inconsistent data reporting by federal, state, local, and tribal police agencies, the FBI’s Hate Crime Statistics have been the most important and comprehensive national snapshot of hate incidents in America. However, law enforcement’s reporting of hate crime data to the FBI is voluntary. 

In 2022, the most recent report, the smallest number of law enforcement agencies in the past decade reported to the FBI; it was the fifth consecutive year of declining reporting from agencies. 79 percent of the agencies that did report data reported an implausible zero hate crimes, including dozens of agencies serving cities of more than 100,000 people.

Despite this rampant underreporting, in 2022 the FBI documented the highest number of hate crimes ever reported – 11,613. This included an alarming 36.4 percent increase in anti-Jewish incidents.

The bipartisan Improving Reporting to Prevent Hate Act (IRPHA) will require local governments with a population of more than 100,000 people to report credible hate crime data to the FBI to be eligible for federal funding under the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968. 

Reliable data is the cornerstone of effective legislation and policies; without accurate data, we cannot address the root causes of bias-motivated offenses, allocate resources effectively, or track the progress of our efforts to reduce hate crimes. Studies show that more comprehensive, complete hate crime reporting can:

• Deter hate violence. Better data will assist in proper allocation of police resources and personnel – preventing crimes and reassuring victims.
• Advance police-community relations. Improved data collection will necessarily require outreach and expanded networking and communication with targeted communities, as well as more training for law enforcement personnel on how to identify, report, and respond to hate violence.

Jewish Values

Judaism consistently teaches the importance of tolerance and the acceptance of others, including those who are different from ourselves. We are taught, in the very beginning of the Torah, that "God created man in God's own image, in the image of God (b'tzelem Elohim) God created him" (Genesis 1:27).

We are also commanded both that "You shall not hate your kinsfolk in your heart. … You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against your countrymen. Love your fellow as yourself" (Leviticus 19:17-18) and that "You may not stand idly by when your neighbor's blood is being shed" (Leviticus 19:16). Even more than simply preaching tolerance, we must actively work to improve, open, and make our communities safer.

For more information

For more information on this issue, contact Eisendrath Legislative Assistant CJ Wechsler Sánchez at cjwechsler@rac.org.

In addition to sending an email through our form above, you can also call the Capitol Switchboard at (202) 224-3121.

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