Hate and Bias Crimes

What is a Hate Crime?

In the simplest terms, a hate crime must include both bias and a crime.

Hate crimes are crimes of victim selection. The suspect intentionally chose their victim and committed a crime against them because they were motivated by bias or prejudice. The suspect chose their victim because of their perception of the victim’s belonging to a specific group.

Hate crimes are intended to induce fear, intimidate, or cause psychological harm to the person or people perceived to be a part of a group.

Under Washington State Law (RCW 9A.36.080): "A person is guilty of a hate crime offense if he or she maliciously and intentionally commits one of the following acts because of his or her perception of the victim's race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender expression or identity, or mental, physical, or sensory disability:

Assaults another person;
Causes physical damage to or destruction of the property of another; or
Threatens a specific person or group of persons and places that person, or members of the specific group of persons, in reasonable fear of harm to person or property..."

Even if the victim does not belong to a certain protected status, if they were selected because they were perceived to be of that status, that is still considered a hate crime.

Protected Classes

The State of Washington includes the following protected categories under the Hate Crime Offense Law (RCW 9A.36.080):

Race
Color
Religion
Ancestry
National Origin
Sexual Orientation
Gender
Gender Expression or Identity
Mental, Physical or Sensory Disability

The City of Seattle Municipal Code includes the following protected categories under the Malicious Harassment Law (SMC 12A.06.115):
Homelessness
Marital Status
Political Ideology
Age
Parental Status

Why Reporting Matters

Hate has no place in our community. No one should be the victim of a hate crime or be targeted for who they are.

Although hate speech is not a crime, the Seattle Police Department recognizes that these types of incidents can cause harm and stress to the community. The Bias Crimes Unit tracks all incidents containing bias and documents them in an online dashboard under these definitions:

A bias incident is most often an offensive derogatory comment directed at a person’s protected status. While not criminal in nature, the comments may cause a level of fear and concern within the targeted community.

A crime with bias elements is defined as any crime where the suspect does not target the victim for their protected status, but the suspect uses a derogatory comment directed at the victim’s protected status or group.

Whether you are reporting a hate crime, hate speech, or a crime that contains bias elements, these incidents will help provide data to drive policy change within the city.

Report a Hate Crime

If you are the victim or witness of a hate crime, and the incident is in-progress, call 911 immediately!

911 is accessible for all languages. 911 call takers and officers will use interpretation to assist you in reporting if you speak another language. You can also text 911 if you are not able to communicate verbally or it is not safe to talk on the phone.

If the crime is NOT occurring right now, you can report the incident via the Seattle Police non-emergency number: (206) 625-5011

If you are not comfortable calling 911 or have additional questions regarding being the victim or witness of a hate crime, you can call the Seattle Police Department Bias Crimes Coordinator at (206) 684-5621 or email at SPD_hatecrimes@seattle.gov.

What if I am an immigrant?

Protection from hate crimes extends to everyone regardless of immigration status. The Seattle Police Department will not collect or act on your immigration status if you report a crime.

Helpful Reporting Tips

Obtain medical attention, if needed
Take photos of any injuries
Leave all evidence in place! Do not touch, remove or clean up evidence of the crime
Get a suspect description (age, race, gender, height, weight, clothing, vehicle, etc.)
Document what happened during the incident
Write down any hate language that was used
Collect the names, addresses and phone numbers of any witnesses
Are there any photos or videos of the incident?

SPD Safe Place

The Safe Place program is a partnership between the Police Department and local businesses. It gives victims of hate crimes a Safe Place to go after their incident, where the business will give them shelter while they call for help. The Safe Place sticker will be displayed in the front of the business.

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