Bias Crime Report Yields Biased Reporting
Jim Kouri, CPP
November 14, 2005
The mainstream news media are breathlessly reporting that the latest report on hate crimes released by the Federal Bureau of Investigation shows a 5 percent increase in bias crime in 2004.
According to the annual FBI Uniform Crime Report, racial prejudice lay behind more than half the 7,649 hate crimes reported by local police agencies. Bias-motivated incidents against African-Americans appear to be the most prevalent category.
The number of race-based incidents rose by 5 percent last year to 4,042 from 3,844. Authorities identified prejudice against blacks in 2,731 of those crimes, the FBI said.
Although the number of hate crimes grew by just 2 percent compared with the 7,489 in 2003, there were slight declines in crimes motivated by bias based on sexual orientation and ethnicity.
In addition, the UCR showed that bias crimes against followers of Islam have leveled off since the upswing in the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. In 2001, there were 481 alleged anti-Islamic incidents. There have been around 150 in the three years since, according the FBI, and the majority of these were incidents involving anti-Muslim graffiti or vandalism.
Among anti-religious hate crimes, anti-Jewish incidents remain the most common. Of the 1,374 incidents of religious bias, 954 were directed at Jews. Some believe this may be a result of Jews being blamed for everything from controlling Hollywood to starting the Iraq War.
The Uniform Crime Report is a compilation of crime and incident reports supplied by over 12,500 local law enforcement agencies from across the USA covering nearly 87 percent of the US population. In addition, the recently passed Higher Education Security Act makes it mandatory for university and college police and public safety departments to monitor and report bias crimes annually.
The reader could have gotten all of the above from any newspaper or news organization. However, the statistics do not answer many questions regarding hate crime in America. What statistics tell us is important. What they don't tell us is vital.
Here are some items to consider:
1. The FBI Uniform Crime Report is a summary of US crimes as reported by local police, sheriff's and campus security departments. It's done voluntarily, although some states mandate that departments provide accurate and timely reports to the FBI. However, it is not unheard of for departments to fudge the numbers by reclassifying offenses or selectively reporting them. For instance, with the crime of rape, it is easily reclassified to sexual assault should a mayor or city manager wish to boast about reducing rape incidents. Or burglaries are reclassified as larcenies in order to show a reduction if citizens complain to their elected officials about being victims of burglars.
2. The UCR is a compilation of arrest complaints, not necessarily indictments or convictions. Departments do not report the dispositions of cases to the FBI. An allegation or criminal complaint filed against one person by another person does not necessarily mean a crime was actually committed.
3. Now, get ready for a few surprises buried deep in the FBI's report -- surprises you won't find out about in mainstream news media coverage.
An analysis of the hate crime offenses reported by law enforcement agencies in 2004 showed that intimidation accounted for 31.3 percent; destruction, damage, or vandalism comprised 31.1 percent; simple assault, 19.4 percent; and aggravated assault, 11.5 percent. Only 6.0 percent of the total number of offenses reported included murder, forcible rape, robbery, arson, burglary, larceny-theft, motor vehicle theft, and other offenses. Crimes against society accounted for 0.7 percent of hate crime offenses.
Law enforcement agencies reported five bias-motivated murders. Three of those murders resulted from racial bias: two anti-white and one anti-black. One of the five murders resulted from a bias against atheism or agnosticism, and one murder stemmed from a bias against homosexual individuals.
All of the four bias-motivated forcible rapes reported in 2004 stemmed from racial bias. Three were committed because of the offenders’ bias against white individuals; the other was due to bias against black individuals.
In 2004, law enforcement agencies reported 112 bias-motivated robberies. Of these, 42.0 percent were committed because of bias against race; 33.0 percent, sexual-orientation bias; 20.5 percent, ethnicity or national origin bias; 3.6 percent, religious bias; and 0.9 percent, disability bias.
During 2004, there were 5,642 victims of crimes against persons. Slightly more than half (50.1 percent) were victims of intimidation. Thirty-one percent were victims of simple assault, and 18.4 percent were victims of aggravated assault. Murder victims and forcible rape victims each accounted for 0.1 percent of crimes against persons. The remaining 0.3 percent were victims of other types of crimes against persons.
4. Different states have different penal codes. For instance, in New York State Penal Law there is no such charge as "battery." There are three degrees of assault. In other states, assault could simply mean a threat of violence was made, while battery means there was physical force and injury. What would be considered an assault charge in New York City, may be considered a battery charge across the Hudson River in New Jersey. The FBI analysts compiling the UCR use a great deal of discretion in translating the local reports into their index crime definitions. It got so confusing once colleges and universities were mandated to report bias crimes, that the FBI had the Department of Education further mandate that higher education institutions must use the FBI handbook of crime definitions. However, the federal government has no power or authority over local law enforcement agencies, therefore over 12,500 agencies are submitted crime reports based on different penal law definitions.
5. A large number of the bias crimes reported are classified as "intimidation." This is a disturbing category since it is the most subjective. If a person who's 5'5" tall, weighing 120 pounds is confronted on a supermarket checkout line by a man 6'7" tall, weighing close to 300 pounds, he or she may feel intimidated. Intimidation could also mean a verbal confrontation occurred and one of the actors believed that the confrontation was racially motivated (i.e., "You're doing this to me because I'm black," or 'You're doing this to me because I'm white," or "you're doing this to me because I'm a Muslim.")
In order to get a clear picture of crime in America, one should use the FBI Uniform Crime Report, which is based on police documentation, and compare its figures with those contained in the Department of Justice's National Crime Survey, which is victim-based.
Jim Kouri, CPP is currently fifth vice-president of the National Association of Chiefs of Police. He's former chief at a New York City housing project in Washington Heights nicknamed "Crack City" by reporters covering the drug war in the 1980s. In addition, he served as director of public safety at a New Jersey university and director of security for several major organizations. He's also served on the National Drug Task Force and trained police and security officers throughout the country. He writes for many police and security magazines including Chief of Police, Police Times, The Narc Officer and others, and he's a columnist for TheConservativeVoice.Com, AmericanDaily.Com, MensNewsDaily.Com, MichNews.Com, and he's syndicated by AXcessNews.Com. He's appeared as on-air commentator for over 100 TV and radio news and talk shows including Oprah, McLaughlin Report, CNN Headline News, MTV, Fox News, etc. His book Assume The Position is available at Amazon.Com, Booksamillion.com, and can be ordered at local bookstores. If you wish to sign up for his intelligence reports, write to JimKouriReports@aol.com. Kouri's own website is located at http://jimkouri.us
According to the annual FBI Uniform Crime Report, racial prejudice lay behind more than half the 7,649 hate crimes reported by local police agencies. Bias-motivated incidents against African-Americans appear to be the most prevalent category.
The number of race-based incidents rose by 5 percent last year to 4,042 from 3,844. Authorities identified prejudice against blacks in 2,731 of those crimes, the FBI said.
Although the number of hate crimes grew by just 2 percent compared with the 7,489 in 2003, there were slight declines in crimes motivated by bias based on sexual orientation and ethnicity.
In addition, the UCR showed that bias crimes against followers of Islam have leveled off since the upswing in the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. In 2001, there were 481 alleged anti-Islamic incidents. There have been around 150 in the three years since, according the FBI, and the majority of these were incidents involving anti-Muslim graffiti or vandalism.
Among anti-religious hate crimes, anti-Jewish incidents remain the most common. Of the 1,374 incidents of religious bias, 954 were directed at Jews. Some believe this may be a result of Jews being blamed for everything from controlling Hollywood to starting the Iraq War.
The Uniform Crime Report is a compilation of crime and incident reports supplied by over 12,500 local law enforcement agencies from across the USA covering nearly 87 percent of the US population. In addition, the recently passed Higher Education Security Act makes it mandatory for university and college police and public safety departments to monitor and report bias crimes annually.
The reader could have gotten all of the above from any newspaper or news organization. However, the statistics do not answer many questions regarding hate crime in America. What statistics tell us is important. What they don't tell us is vital.
Here are some items to consider:
1. The FBI Uniform Crime Report is a summary of US crimes as reported by local police, sheriff's and campus security departments. It's done voluntarily, although some states mandate that departments provide accurate and timely reports to the FBI. However, it is not unheard of for departments to fudge the numbers by reclassifying offenses or selectively reporting them. For instance, with the crime of rape, it is easily reclassified to sexual assault should a mayor or city manager wish to boast about reducing rape incidents. Or burglaries are reclassified as larcenies in order to show a reduction if citizens complain to their elected officials about being victims of burglars.
2. The UCR is a compilation of arrest complaints, not necessarily indictments or convictions. Departments do not report the dispositions of cases to the FBI. An allegation or criminal complaint filed against one person by another person does not necessarily mean a crime was actually committed.
3. Now, get ready for a few surprises buried deep in the FBI's report -- surprises you won't find out about in mainstream news media coverage.
An analysis of the hate crime offenses reported by law enforcement agencies in 2004 showed that intimidation accounted for 31.3 percent; destruction, damage, or vandalism comprised 31.1 percent; simple assault, 19.4 percent; and aggravated assault, 11.5 percent. Only 6.0 percent of the total number of offenses reported included murder, forcible rape, robbery, arson, burglary, larceny-theft, motor vehicle theft, and other offenses. Crimes against society accounted for 0.7 percent of hate crime offenses.
Law enforcement agencies reported five bias-motivated murders. Three of those murders resulted from racial bias: two anti-white and one anti-black. One of the five murders resulted from a bias against atheism or agnosticism, and one murder stemmed from a bias against homosexual individuals.
All of the four bias-motivated forcible rapes reported in 2004 stemmed from racial bias. Three were committed because of the offenders’ bias against white individuals; the other was due to bias against black individuals.
In 2004, law enforcement agencies reported 112 bias-motivated robberies. Of these, 42.0 percent were committed because of bias against race; 33.0 percent, sexual-orientation bias; 20.5 percent, ethnicity or national origin bias; 3.6 percent, religious bias; and 0.9 percent, disability bias.
During 2004, there were 5,642 victims of crimes against persons. Slightly more than half (50.1 percent) were victims of intimidation. Thirty-one percent were victims of simple assault, and 18.4 percent were victims of aggravated assault. Murder victims and forcible rape victims each accounted for 0.1 percent of crimes against persons. The remaining 0.3 percent were victims of other types of crimes against persons.
4. Different states have different penal codes. For instance, in New York State Penal Law there is no such charge as "battery." There are three degrees of assault. In other states, assault could simply mean a threat of violence was made, while battery means there was physical force and injury. What would be considered an assault charge in New York City, may be considered a battery charge across the Hudson River in New Jersey. The FBI analysts compiling the UCR use a great deal of discretion in translating the local reports into their index crime definitions. It got so confusing once colleges and universities were mandated to report bias crimes, that the FBI had the Department of Education further mandate that higher education institutions must use the FBI handbook of crime definitions. However, the federal government has no power or authority over local law enforcement agencies, therefore over 12,500 agencies are submitted crime reports based on different penal law definitions.
5. A large number of the bias crimes reported are classified as "intimidation." This is a disturbing category since it is the most subjective. If a person who's 5'5" tall, weighing 120 pounds is confronted on a supermarket checkout line by a man 6'7" tall, weighing close to 300 pounds, he or she may feel intimidated. Intimidation could also mean a verbal confrontation occurred and one of the actors believed that the confrontation was racially motivated (i.e., "You're doing this to me because I'm black," or 'You're doing this to me because I'm white," or "you're doing this to me because I'm a Muslim.")
In order to get a clear picture of crime in America, one should use the FBI Uniform Crime Report, which is based on police documentation, and compare its figures with those contained in the Department of Justice's National Crime Survey, which is victim-based.
Jim Kouri, CPP is currently fifth vice-president of the National Association of Chiefs of Police. He's former chief at a New York City housing project in Washington Heights nicknamed "Crack City" by reporters covering the drug war in the 1980s. In addition, he served as director of public safety at a New Jersey university and director of security for several major organizations. He's also served on the National Drug Task Force and trained police and security officers throughout the country. He writes for many police and security magazines including Chief of Police, Police Times, The Narc Officer and others, and he's a columnist for TheConservativeVoice.Com, AmericanDaily.Com, MensNewsDaily.Com, MichNews.Com, and he's syndicated by AXcessNews.Com. He's appeared as on-air commentator for over 100 TV and radio news and talk shows including Oprah, McLaughlin Report, CNN Headline News, MTV, Fox News, etc. His book Assume The Position is available at Amazon.Com, Booksamillion.com, and can be ordered at local bookstores. If you wish to sign up for his intelligence reports, write to JimKouriReports@aol.com. Kouri's own website is located at http://jimkouri.us
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