FBI reports dip in hate crimes in ’18

WASHINGTON — The number of hate crimes across the United States dipped slightly in 2018 after three consecutive years of increases.

The FBI released its annual hate crimes report on Tuesday. There were 7,120 reported hate crimes in 2018, down from 7,175 in 2017.

The FBI said the figures include 4,571 reported hate crimes against people in 2018, many of them in America’s largest cities, involving victims from a wide range of ethnic and religious backgrounds. The report shows 24 people were killed and there were 22 reported rapes identified as hate crimes. The figure for attacks against people included aggravated assaults, which were up 4%; simple assaults, up 15%; and intimidation, up 13%.

The report is compiled by using data submitted by more than 2,000 law enforcement agencies around the U.S. While state and local police forces are not required to report hate crimes to the FBI, the bureau has made a significant effort in recent years to increase awareness and response rates. Still, many cities and some entire states failed to collect or report the data last year.

Religion-based hate crimes decreased by about 8% in 2018, with 835 incidents targeting Jews and Jewish institutions. That’s down from 938 incidents in 2017.

The FBI said 485 hate crimes against Latinos were reported in 2018, up from 430 in 2017, their highest level since 2010, when the unemployment rate and border crossings from Mexico were both peaking. It said 270 crimes were reported against Muslims and Arab Americans, the fewest since 2014.