In a Report Released Today, FBI Says Hate Crimes Are Up in U.S., Down in Dallas

New statistics collected by the FBI show fewer hate crimes being committed in Dallas in 2008 compared with 2007. According to 2008 Hate Crime Statistics, which was released today, Dallas reported 17 hate crimes, which include crimes motivated by race, religion, sexual orientation, ethnicity or disability. (As you may recall, earlier this summer Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson called for including crimes against the homeless in hate-crime statistics.) In the report from 2007, Dallas cited 23 hate crimes. (Figures for 2009 will be released next year.)

According to the data, nearly 450 more law enforcement agencies participated in the FBI's program to collect data on hate crimes for the current report. Not surprisingly, there were also about 160 additional incidents reported nationally. "There are more agencies reporting the statistics ... so you're obviously going to be seeing more numbers," said an FBI official in Washington, D.C., reached by Unfair Park.

The Dallas FBI office, when reached by Unfair Park this afternoon, had not yet seen the report. But the local media coordinator, special agent Mark White, had good things to say about DPD's participation in the annual report: "I know the Dallas Police Department is very good about forwarding those stats on."