It seems counter-intuitive, but some law enforcement experts in Washington can see progress in the escalating numbers of reported hate crimes statewide, in the wake of the FBI’s latest annual report released this week showing that the criminal offenses motivated by bias have reached record levels nationwide.
Washington’s reported number of hate crimes rose from 506 reported in 2018 to 542 last year — the latest uptick in what’s been a rising trend documented in recent years in the FBI’s Uniform Crime Report (UCR), the agency’s annual compilation of crime statistics reported by local law enforcement departments nationwide.
With its 7% increase, Washington — which typically rates among the states with the most reported bias crimes — climbed one rung higher into third place in the national rankings for the undesirable category, trailing only California, with 1,015 reported offenses, and New York, with 611.
Washington has such a high ranking in part because people here are comparatively more likely to report the hate crimes that happen to them, experts said — and while higher rates of reporting are a good thing, they also highlight the sheer volume of hate crimes that are committed in Washington and nationwide.