The 1997 Annual Report of the Governor's Task Force on Hate Crimes marks the second year that nearly 100 percent of Massachusetts' law enforcement agencies have participated in the reporting of hate crimes. This development reflects tremendous progress since 1991 in achieving statewide implementation of the Hate Crimes Reporting Act, which I have made a public safety priority as both Lieutenant Governor and Governor. This milestone is only one step toward our goal of stopping crimes motivated by racial, religious, ethnic, national origin, disability, gender, and sexual orientation bias.
Hate crimes continue to be underreported to police and difficult to identify and investigate.
Since I became Governor in 1997, the Governor's Task Force on Hate Crimes has launched a statewide initiative to strengthen enforcement of laws against hate crimes. The objectives are to reduce underreporting of hate crimes and improve response and prevention efforts. The initiative builds on successful community policing models by emphasizing cooperation among law enforcement agencies and affected communities. Police departments are receiving expanded training and technical assistance, while the general public is being made aware of the realities of the problem, to encourage victims and witnesses to report hate crimes to police. The initiative also addresses hate crimes that occur in school settings or involve young victims or perpetrators.