The under-reporting of hate crimes, even in times of increased hate crime activity, produces potentially skewed data, largely unhelpful to policy makers and law enforcement agencies (LEA).  Even when reported, there is no standardized or uniform way LEAs collect and analyze the data, if the alleged incident rises to the level of a potential crime.  Multiple factors contribute to underreporting, including tenuous community-LEA relationships, ease of reporting, and lack of education or awareness surrounding hate crimes.  Coalition will collect data directly from communities without having to call 911 and collects information to a centralized database with uniform metrics.

Frequently Asked Questions:

How is the Survey administered?

The Coalition’s Survey is unique in that it is not a public-facing document; rather, the Survey is a tool administered by Coalition Partners to individuals in their respective communities.  Coalition Partners already have trusted relationships with their communities and act not only as a collector of data, but main point of support and networking for those who have experienced a hate or bias incident.

What happens to the collected data? 

The data collected from the survey will feed directly into an ArcGIS data base hosted by King County.  No personal or identifying information will be collected.  The data will be regularly shared with Coalition Partners for distribution. 

Will the data be available to the public?

 Yes, the data will be made publicly available to the general public, policy makers, and other interested parties.

What do I do if I experience hate or bias?

Contact one of the Coalition Partners.  They will administer the survey and connect you with additional resources or referrals, if desired.  The Partner will not collect any personal or identifying information from you and your identity will remain 100% confidential, anonymous, and not shared with OESJ or any other government body.

If you do believe you have been the victim of a crime or wish to speak with law enforcement, that is always your choice.