Under Washington State Law: “A person is guilty of malicious harassment if he or she maliciously and intentionally commits one of the following acts because of his or her perception of the victim’s race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, or mental, physical, or sensory handicap:
-
Causes physical injury to the victim or another person;
-
Causes physical damage to or destruction of the property of the victim or another person; or
-
Threatens a specific person or group of persons and places that person, or members of the specific group of persons, in reasonable fear of harm to person or property.”
A crime is an act deemed to be illegal; it becomes a hate crime when it is motivated by bias or prejudice against a person or people perceived to be a part of a group, and is intended to induce fear, scare, terrify or cause psychological harm.
If Hate Crimes Are Not Reported, They May Continue
Reporting hate crimes can lead to their prevention by identifying those prone to these activities and sending a message that these crimes will not be ignored.
One of the most common reasons victims gave for not reporting a hate crime was because they felt it may be perceived as too trivial.
How To Report A Hate Crime
If you are a victim or witness of a hate crime, and the incident is in-progress, call 911 immediately!
If the crime is NOT occurring right now, you can report the incident via the non-emergency number: 425-235-2121.
If you are not comfortable calling 911 or have additional questions regarding being a victim of or witnessing a hate crime, you can call the Renton Police Department Hate Crime Hotline at 1-844-RPT-HATE (1-844-778-4283) or email [email protected].
Reporting Tips
-
Obtain medical attention, if needed. Be sure to keep all medical documentation. Take photos of any injuries.
-
Leave all evidence in-place; do not touch, remove or clean-up anything.
-
Document what happened and get a description of the suspect(s) and/or their vehicle.
-
Collect the names, addresses and phone numbers of any victims or witnesses.
-
Write down any hate language that was used, particularly any verbiage that indicates bias was the motivation for the crime.