WHEREAS, too many people in our communities are targeted for violence on the basis of race, national origin, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, or disability; and

WHEREAS, per IACP's Investigation of Hate Crimes Model Policy^[1], bias is defined as a preformed negative opinion or attitude toward a group of persons based on their race, color, national origin, religion, disability, sexual orientation, ethnicity, gender, or gender identity; and

WHEREAS, per IACP's Investigation of Hate Crimes Model Policy^[2], hate crime is a criminal offense motivated by some form of bias against the victim and hate incidents are defined as those actions by an individual or group that, while motivated by hate or bias, do not rise to the level of a criminal offense; and

WHEREAS, hate or bias-motivated incidents and crimes have a devastating effect on individual victims and their families; and

WHEREAS, hate or bias-motivated incidents and crimes can have far reaching effects on large segments of the communities in which they take place; and

WHEREAS, these crimes infringe on the rights of individuals and threaten the communities they represent by creating fear of future violence and the nullification of constitutional rights; and

WHEREAS, hate or bias-motivated incidents and crimes are of critical concern for all law enforcement agencies and prosecutors because of their unique and negative impact on victims, communities, and social structure; and

WHEREAS, effective response to hate or bias-motivated incidents and crimes can not only bring justice to victims and their communities, but it can also strengthen the relationship between law enforcement and the communities they serve; and

WHEREASs, law enforcement agencies recognize the importance of accurate data about hate or bias-motivated incidents and crimes in order to effectively investigate and prosecute hate crimes; and

WHEREAS, the International Association of Chiefs of Police has partnered with the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law and convened a significant group of law enforcement leaders and civil rights advocates to address this issue; now, therefore be it

RESOLVED, that the IACP encourages law enforcement agencies and prosecutors to work closely with the victims of these crimes, affected communities, core community stakeholders, non-profit advocacy groups, and nongovernmental organizations to combat bias and hate, and strengthen trust with community members; and be it

FURTHER RESOLVED, that the IACP encourages law enforcement agencies and prosecutors to collect, analyze, and report incidents of crime that are, in whole or in part, directed against individuals because of race, national origin, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, or disability through a national reporting system to the Federal Bureau of Investigation; and be it

FURTHER RESOLVED, that the IACP encourages law enforcement agencies and prosecutors to forge partnerships with community stakeholders, criminal justice system partners, and other organizations to conduct public outreach and multidisciplinary training, share information, address concerns, and support criminal and civil investigations; and be it

FURTHER RESOLVED, that the IACP encourages law enforcement agencies and prosecutors to work with communities to promote healing and respect, and proactively address bias and hate.

Submitted by: IACP Board of Directors, Victim Services Committee, Human and Civil Rights Committee

BOD.024.t2017

1 International Association of Chiefs of Police, Investigation of Hate Crimes Model Policy, 2016.

2 International Association of Chiefs of Police, Investigation of Hate Crimes Model Policy, 2016