Information on Hate Crimes

Information about Hate Crimes.

Los Angeles County is one of the most diverse communities in world. Victims targeted simply because of the race, color, religion, ancestry, national origins, sexual orientation, gender, or disability suffer long after a hate crime is committed. An additional consequence of a hate crime is that victims, their families, and members of targeted communities live in fear. Indeed, hate crimes undermines a founding principle of our country - that "all men are created equal....[and] endowed with certain inalienable rights.

As District Attorney, I am fully committed to fighting hate crimes. Our office's Organized Crime Division works to gather intelligence on hate group. Specially trained lawyers in our Hate Crimes and Victims Impact Program vigorously prosecute hate crime offenders throughout the county. Through Juveniles Offenders Learning Tolerance (J. O. L. T.) - a crime prevention program teaching tolerance and respect for diversity - we intervene early in juvenile hate crime activities.

Your cooperation is vital to these efforts. If you or anyone you know is the victim of a hate crime, we encourage you reported to your local law-enforcement agency With your help and vigilance we can punish the guilty, deter others from engage hate motivated behavior and protects cherished American principles and values.

Steve Cooley

District Attorney

Los Angeles County

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Hate Crimes, Hate Incidents, And Free Speech	Reporting Hate Crimes to the Police
Prosecuting Hate Crimes	Where Victims Can Find Help
Other Resources

Hate Crimes, Hate Incidents, and Free Speech

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HATE CRIMES are criminal acts against an individuals because of their actual or perceived race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, sexual orientation, gender, or disability. Because they are targeted for who they are, victims of hate crimes continue to feel threatened longer after the attack. These crimes victimize everyone - individuals and our entire community

Some hate-motivated offenses do not rise to the level of a crime that can be charged in court. These acts are called hate incidents. Although they may not meet the definition of a crime, they leave individuals feeling victimized and can escalate into criminal behavior.

FREE SPEECH is protected by the United States Constitution and is not a hate crime. However, speech that carries with it a credible threat of violence against an individual or group of people is criminal.

The following acts are examples of the crimes under California law when they are motivated by the victims actual or perceived race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, sexual orientation, and gender or disability:

USING force or threatening to use force to injure, intimidate, or interfere with another person who is exercising his or hers constitutional rights.

DEFACING or damaging another person's property to intimidate or interfere with that person free exercise of his or her constitutional rights.

DESECRATING a religious symbol or displaying a swastika on another person's property with the intent to terrorize another person.

VANDALIZING, burning, or bombing a church, synagogue, mosque,or other house of worship to terrorize other persons.

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Reporting Hate Crimes to the Police

IF you are a victim of a hate crime, it is important that you report it law-enforcement. To report a hate crime please call 911 or your local law enforcement agency. The following law enforcement numbers may assist you:

Los Angles County Sheriff's Department

Hate Crimes Task Force

(562) 946-7130

Los Angeles Police Department's

Criminal Conspiracy Section

(213) 473-7474

Federal Bureau of Investigation

(310) 477-6565

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Prosecuting Hate Crimes

California has a number of laws which specifically apply to hate crimes. They can prosecuted as either misdemeanors are felonies, depending on the severity of the offense, misdemeanors can be elevated to felonies if they are hate motivated crimes. Convictions of felonies with hate crime enhancements can result in the standard sentenced plus an additional one to four years in state prison.

The Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office was the first local agency in the nation to develop a unit dedicated solely to prosecuting hate crimes. composed of specifically trained and highly experienced lawyer, the Hate Crimes Unit works with the office's Victim Impact Program to aggressively prosecute all felony hate crimes throughout the county. The District Attorney's hate crime unit can be reached at (213) 974-7841.

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Where Victims Can Find Help

Victims of hate crimes reported to law enforcement in Los Angeles County can receive help from the District Attorney's Victims-Witness Assistance Program. Advocates with bilingual capabilities are specifically trained to assist hate crime victims.

In addition to enforcing victims writes in helping to obtain restitution and compensation, victims advocates council crime victims and their families, provide referrals to social agencies, assist crime victims through the court process and help return property used as evidence. For more information on the District Attorney's Victim-Witness Assistant Program, please call (800) 773-7574

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Other Resources

The following list contains additional government agencies and community-based organizations that provide assistance to the victims of hate crimes.

Los Angeles County Commission on Human Relations

(213) 974-7611

Los Angeles City Human Relations Commission

(213) 978 1660

U.S. Department of Justice Community Relations Service

(213) 894-2941

Anti- Defamation League

(310) 446-8000

Asian Pacific American Legal Center