Hate crimes in Wisconsin increased by 33.8 percent from 2007 to 2008, according to a report released Wednesday by the Office of Justice Assistance.
A hate crime is any crime committed based on, at least in part, a victim’s perceived race, religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender or disability.
This was the first time hate crime rates have been published as a separate report, compiled from crime and arrest data the OJA received from state law enforcement agencies across the state in all 386 law enforcement jurisdictions.
The increase from 2007-08 comes after a dramatic increase in hate crime between 2005 and 2006 when the rate of incidents almost doubled, from 45 to 90. There was a slight decrease in the number of hate crimes in 2007, before it increased again in 2008.
In 2008, 171,684 violent and property crimes were reported in Wisconsin; law enforcement determined 99 of those incidents to have been motivated by an offender’s bias, compared to 74 in 2007.
During that year, hate crimes were committed by 164 offenders against 116 victims and occurred in 8 percent of the state’s 386 law enforcement districts.
Individuals comprised 75 percent of hate crime victims, while business and society as a whole were the next most common victims at 6 percent each. Racial bias motivated 59 percent of hate crimes and was the most common cause.
Vandalism and simple assault were the most frequent offenses committed, and most hate crimes occurred in a street, alley or parking lot.
Katie Belanger, executive director for the LGBT rights group Fair Wisconsin, wrote in an email to The Badger Herald that hate crimes are a serious issue facing the LGBT community.
According to the report, 21 percent of all hate crimes committed in 2008 were committed against lesbian, gay or bisexual people. Belanger wrote this does not even count the transgender community, because its members are not protected by Wisconsin law.
“We’ve got a long way to go to build a fairer Wisconsin where all people, regardless of sexual orientation and gender identity are safe, and Fair Wisconsin is committed to leading that fight,” Belanger wrote in the e-mail.
