FBI 2011 Report Indicates Slight Decrease in Hate Crimes

An annual report recently released by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) revealed a 6 percent decrease in the number of hate crimes reported by law enforcement partners in 2011 to the lowest number of reported hate crimes since 1994.

The report, “Hate Crimes Statistics 2011,” found that of the 6,216 single-bias incidents reported in 2011, 46.9 percent were motivated by race, 20.8 percent were motivated by sexual orientation, 19.8 percent by religion, 11.6 percent by ethnicity or national origin, and 0.9 percent by disability.

“We welcome the decrease in hate crimes reflected in the FBI’s annual HCSA report, now the single most important snapshot of violent bigotry in America,” said Anti-Defamation League (ADL) National Chair Barry Curtiss-Lusher, and ADL National Director Abraham H. Foxman. “Yet, 6,222 reported hate crimes – about one every 90 minutes of every day – is far too many.  The increase in the number of reported hate crimes directed against gays and lesbians, now the second most frequent category of crime, is especially disturbing.”