Hate crimes present a particularly difficult challenge for law enforcement because they are more violent, socially disruptive, random, and serial in nature than ordinary crimes, and are more difficult to solve. This is because there is a terroristic component associated with hate crimes, whereby even a relatively minor incident can breed fear and distrust across fragile intergroup lines. Research has also shown that hate crimes tend to be more violent, more traumatic to the victim, and sometimes committed by groups of perpetrators who are previously unknown to the victim. Such crimes terrorize the entire targeted community. Characteristics of Hate Crimes Hate crimes involve a higher level of assaults against persons than crimes generally.
Hate crimes are more violent than crimes generally.
Attacks are often preceded by a series of confrontations and incidents that escalate in severity. Hate crimes are more likely than other criminal activity to be committed by groups of perpetrators. The HCSA was amended by the Violent Crime and Law Enforcement Act of 1994 to include crimes motivated by a bias against persons with disabilities. Although the HCSA of 1990 mandated collection for only five years, the Church Arson Prevention Act of 1996 amended the HCSA and permanently extended the data collection mandate. The data collection effort is designed to capture information about the type of bias serving as the motivating factor, the nature of the offense, and the characteristics of the victims and offenders.