Without accurate data, we’re fighting hate crimes blindfolded

Last month in Bloomington, Ind., an Asian-American student was reportedly stabbed in the head while riding a bus by an individual who claimed she targeted the student because she was Chinese. 

And near the end of 2022, we saw atrocious attacks such as the fatal shooting at an LGBTQ+ club in Colorado Springs and the vicious assault of a Jewish victim in Central Park by a man who reportedly yelled “Kanye 2024.”  

Hate crimes — crimes in which a person is targeted because of a protected, immutable identity characteristic — cause unique and widespread harm. They send a message of fear, intimidation and exclusion not only to the individual victim but also to the group of people who share that person’s identity characteristics. 

In order to effectively counter hate crimes, we must have data that demonstrates the scope and magnitude of the problem. Under the Hate Crimes Statistics Act of 1990, the attorney general is required to collect data about hate crimes across the country and publish an annual report.  

But attacks like the ones mentioned above are currently at risk of not being counted in the federally collected data at all. The reason? Many police departments are failing to report hate crime data to the FBI.  

When the FBI released its latest report on hate crimes data for 2021 in December, there were astounding gaps in the data — gaps that are wider and more widespread than we have seen in decades. Overall, there was a sharp 22 percent decrease in the number of reporting agencies, the lowest number of agencies in 20 years. The Jewish Federations of North America noted that, on top of the sharp decline in the number of agencies that participated in reporting, some of the most populated cities in the country, including New York City and Los Angeles, did not participate, nor did “nearly the entire state of Florida or most of California.”   

This alarming lack of data for 2021 has rendered it extremely challenging to draw meaningful conclusions about year-over-year national numbers and trends. And yet, even with major agencies’ data missing in the FBI hate crime report, a total of 7,262 hate crime incidents were reported in 2021, the third-highest number in a decade. This suggests that had more jurisdictions reported, the FBI’s report likely would have shown record-high numbers.  

While never perfect or fully complete, the annual report by the FBI has, for decades, reflected trends in hate crimes over time. The Anti-Defamation League, where I am vice president of national affairs, and other organizations depend upon accurate data to provide a national framework for what we see happening across the country as we work in partnership with communities and government leaders to address and counter hate. Data guides policy. Without a more complete picture of the problem, which inherently depends on jurisdictions participating, we cannot address the prevalence of hate violence across the country in a comprehensive way.    

Accurate reporting also sends a message that hate crimes are taken seriously and that there are mechanisms in place to support those who are targeted, especially those in marginalized communities. Inaccurate and incomplete data reporting sends the very opposite message. And the failure of major states and cities across the country to report hate crime data essentially — and inexcusably — erases the lived experience of marginalized communities across the country.   

The rising tide of hate crimes makes the need for data even more urgent. Law enforcement agencies must immediately recommit to reporting. And, given the enormous gaps and low participation rate for 2021, it seems clear that we must make it mandatory for state and local law enforcement agencies that receive federal funding to participate in the FBI’s hate crimes data collection efforts to obtain a more complete understanding of the threat.   

In 2023, all of us have a responsibility to confront hate in our communities. At a time when marginalized communities are increasingly vulnerable to hate and extremism, particularly in the face of white supremacy, it is essential that we take a community- and victim-centered approach as we craft policy solutions and dig into the hard work of addressing bias-motivated violence. And having robust data is key to that work. 

George Selim is vice president of national affairs at ADL (the Anti-Defamation League) and a former director of community partnerships at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.