Hate Crimes

VICTIM AND WITNESS INFORMATION

• What Is A Hate Crime?
• California Hate Crime Statutes
• Reporting Hate Crimes To Police
• Prosecuting Hate Crimes
• Where Victims Can Find Help

Reporting Hate Crimes to Police

If you are a victim of a hate crime, it is important that you report it to law enforcement. To report a hate crime, please call 911 or your local law enforcement agency. The following law enforcement numbers may assist you:

Los Angeles Police Department’s Criminal Conspiracy Section
(213) 473-7474

Federal Bureau of Investigation
(310) 477-6565

Prosecuting Hate Crimes

California has a number of laws which specifically apply to hate crimes. They can be prosecuted either as misdemeanors or felonies, depending on the severity of the offense. Misdemeanors can be elevated to felonies if they are hate-motivated crimes. Convictions of felonies with hate crime enhancements can result in the standard sentence plus an additional one to four years in state prison.

The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office was the first local agency in the nation to develop a unit dedicated solely to prosecuting hate crimes. Composed of specially trained and highly experienced lawyers, the Hate Crimes Unit works with the office’s Victim Impact Program to aggressively prosecute all felony hate crimes throughout the County. The District Attorney’s Hate Crimes Unit can be reached at (213) 202-7799.

Where Victims Can Find Help

Victims of hate crimes reported to law enforcement in Los Angeles County can receive help from the District Attorney’s Victim-Witness Assistance Program. Advocates with bilingual capabilities are specially trained to assist hate crime victims.

In addition to enforcing victim rights and helping to obtain restitution and compensation, victim advocates counsel crime victims and their families, provide referrals to social agencies, assist crime victims through the court process, and help return property used as evidence. For more information on the District Attorney’s Victim-Witness Assistance Program, please call (800) 380-3811.

Other Resources

The following list contains additional government agencies and community based organizations that provide assistance to victims of hate crimes:

Los Angeles County Commission on Human Relations	(213) 974-7611
Los Angeles City Human Relations Commission	(213) 978-1660
U.S. Department of Justice Community Relations Service	(213) 894-2941
Anti-Defamation League	(310) 446-8000
Asian Pacific American Legal Center	(213) 977-7500
Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles	(213) 353-1333
L.A. Gay and Lesbian Center	(800) 373-2227
Muslim Public Affairs Council Hate Crimes Hotline	(800) 898-3558
National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP)	(323) 296-2630
Simon Wiesenthal Center’s Tools for Tolerance	(310) 772-7613
South Asian Network	(800) 281-8111 (562) 403-0488
Southern Christian Leadership Conference and the Martin Luther King Legacy Association	(323) 290-4100