NEW YORK, N.Y.-UNS: Senator Kirsten Gillibrand and Representative Grace Meng call on the Department of Justice to provide an overview of National Incident-Based Reporting System compliance by law enforcement agencies throughout the nation.
Senator Kirsten Gillibrand and U.S. Representative Grace Meng (D-Queens) were joined by community leaders in calling for the Department of Justice (DOJ) to look into the compliance of law enforcement agencies with the national system to report data on hate crimes.
Senator Gillibrand and Representative Meng led their colleagues, Representatives Don Beyer (D-VA), Dan Goldman (D-NY), Ritchie Torres (D-NY), Nydia Velázquez (D-NY), and Nicole Malliotakis (R-NY), in sending a bipartisan letter to the Department of Justice (DOJ) requesting an overview of the status of National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS) compliance among law enforcement agencies across the country. The letter also requests recommendations to increase participation in order to ensure the accuracy of future federal hate crimes data.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI) 2021 Hate Crimes Statistics report, originally released late last year, found that a significant number of law enforcement agencies had failed to report hate crimes through the FBI’s NIBRS data collection system, resulting in unreliable data and artificially low numbers of hate incidents as compared to previous years. 2021 was the first year that the FBI fully transitioned from its original reporting mechanism, the Summary Reporting System (SRS), to NIBRS. While SRS allowed agencies to aggregate totals of several categories of crime, NIBRS captures greater specificity and context about each individual crime, including victim and offender demographics, location and timing, and information on separate offenses within the crime incident. Bringing law enforcement agencies into compliance with NIBRS will help capture accurate and timely crime data that both local and federal law enforcement agencies can use to evaluate and identify solutions to mitigate further hate crimes and incidents.
“Keeping up-to-date data for these incidents is imperative for law enforcement agencies to be able to do the work needed to combat hate crimes,” said U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand. “While we commend the steps local law enforcement and the Department of Justice have taken in responding to such incidents, reporting, collecting and maintaining the most accurate data available is crucial in evaluating and responding to hate-related crimes as well as keeping our neighborhoods safe from such reprehensible attacks. Hate has no place in New York and it takes everyone, working together, to defeat it.”
“There is no place for hate in New York or anywhere in our country, and to help combat hate crimes, we need accurate and updated data to help law enforcement keep our communities safe from these despicable and heinous acts,” said Congresswoman Grace Meng. “We look forward to receiving answers from the Justice Department to better understand the status of law enforcement agencies transitioning to NIBRS, and I thank Senator Gillibrand for partnering with me on this crucial effort to better protect people from bias crimes.”
“Senator Gillibrand, Congresswoman Meng and members of New York’s Congressional delegation are advancing crucial work to confront hate crimes and the fear they cause in our communities,” said Karol V. Mason, president of John Jay College of Criminal Justice. “Their efforts will ensure that our researchers, practitioners and the public have a vital tool — accurate and robust data — to inform solutions, including victims’ services, that support safety for all the residents of a community.”
“We cannot allow antisemitism, a pernicious hatred based on conspiracy theory and fear mongering, to metastasize threatening not only the Jewish community but the fabric of our democracy,” said Elana Broitman, Senior Vice President, Public Affairs, Jewish Federations of North America. “We believe government has a critical role to play which is why Jewish Federations applaud Senator Gillibrand and Congresswoman Meng for leading this call for action, and have supported the passage of the Jabara-Heyer No Hate Act, advocate for annual NO HATE appropriations, and are working every day with local law enforcement across the country to accurately identify, prevent, and respond to antisemitism – especially against individuals who are more visibly Jewish and likely to be harmed.”
“Anti-Asian hate is widespread and bias crimes continue to impact all marginalized communities at alarming levels. It has always been difficult for victims to come forward and report what has happened to them,” said Asian American Federation Executive Director Jo-Ann Yoo. “What shouldn’t be difficult for our communities is getting accurate insights when our community members do report on what has happened to them. We’re grateful for Senator Gillibrand’s and Congresswoman Meng’s leadership in inquiring on this matter and look forward to better compliance when it comes to reporting on the hatred impacting our community.”
“The Asian American Foundation (TAAF) joins Sen. Gillibrand and Rep. Meng in calling for accurate data collection of hate crime incidents,” said Norman Chen, CEO of The Asian American Foundation. “These issues have been decades long and we fear that without immediate action, we will continue to have incomplete data. Without the full picture, we cannot build effective strategies to protect our communities from future hate crimes. Impacted communities need to see full participation by law-enforcement agencies with the National Incident-Based Reporting System. In alignment with WHIAANHPI, TAAF urges DOJ to condition federal funding grants on law enforcement participation in the collections and reporting program.”
