The Hate Crimes Advisory Committee was established in August 1994 through the initial efforts of members of the Anti-Defamation League , the Arizona Human Rights Fund and the Phoenix Police Department . Citing concerns about the rising number of reported hate crimes in the Valley, the Phoenix Police Department's Bias Related Crime Incident Unit brought together representatives of minority groups in addition to members of the gay and lesbian community, various religious organizations and representatives of the Maricopa County Attorney General's Office and the Attorney General's Civil Rights Division . The Hate Crimes Advisory Committee's goal is to help decrease bias-related criminal activity in Phoenix and foster an atmosphere of understanding among people who live and work in our community. Why Bias Incidents Must Be Reported If you have been victimized by hate either recently or in the past, we urge you to report it to the police.
Hate crimes are just that - crimes.
They need to be reported so that law enforcement agencies can track trends in bias incidents and possibly prevent other crimes. The Phoenix Police Department began compiling data on bias incidents in January 1991 in response to the Hate Crimes Statistics Act of 1990. The department identified 110 bias incidents in 1992. All Phoenix Police Department officers are trained to report, document and investigate incidents that are bias in nature. The Hate Crimes Advisory Committee acts as a liaison between you and the police to help report these crimes.