Crimes Against Latinos Up 46 Percent In CA
SAN FRANCISCO - California Attorney General Kamala Harris' report on hate crimes showed that hate crimes against Latinos increased from 81 in 2009 to 119 in 2010, a 46.9-percent jump.
.jpg)
"A crime that is motivated by hate is a crime against all people," Attorney General Harris said. "We will monitor and prosecute these cases to the fullest extent of the law."
The Attorney General's report, "Hate Crime in California 2010" was accumulated using data collection programs developed by the California Department of Justice, police agencies, and district attorney's offices in all of the state's 58 counties.
In 2010, there were 7 more reported hate crimes events than in 2009, an increase of 0.6 percent.
Anti-Jewish hate crimes decreased by 20 percent from the previous year, anti-black crimes decreased by 13.8 percent, and anti-gay crimes decreased by 10.8 percent. However, anti-Hispanic hate crimes increased 46.9 percent, from 81 in 2009 to 119 in 2010.
A total of 361 hate crime cases were referred to prosecutors in 2010, fewer than the 479 cases referred in 2009. Of the 361 criminal cases that were filed, 230 were hate crimes. Of the 166 hate crimes with dispositions in 2010, there were 151 convictions (70 hate crime convictions and 81 other convictions).
The hate crime reporting system was implemented by the Department of Justice in 1994. Law enforcement agencies are required to submit copies of initial crime reports to the department, and each agency has established procedures incorporating a two-tier review process. The first level is done by the initial officer who responded to the suspected hate crime incident. Then each report is reviewed by at least one other officer to confirm that the event was, in fact, a hate crime.
