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ADL Welcomes LAPD’s Announcement of New Online Reporting of Hate Incidents

  • January 11, 2024

LAPD’s Community Online Reporting Service is being expanded to include online reporting of hate incidents.

Regional Director Jeffrey Abrams alongside LAPD at podium at press conference.

Los Angeles, CA. January 11, 2024 … Chief Michel Moore and Assistant Chief Blake Chow of the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) announced today a new expansion of LAPD’s Community Online Reporting Service. The inclusion of online hate incidents in the reporting system will mitigate underreporting of bias-motivated incidents, giving law enforcement and the community a better understanding of both the hate incidents and the hate crimes that pervade the city.

Historically and presently, hate crimes and incidents are dramatically underreported. The law enforcement community as well as community-based organizations like the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) have long worked to improve both hate incident and hate crime reporting because easy access to and swift reporting can help law enforcement gather information needed in a time of crisis.

In February 2023, Los Angeles experienced such a crisis when two Jewish men were shot on consecutive days in the Pico-Robertson neighborhood. Through the work of LAPD in cooperation with its partners, the shooter was identified and arrested the next day in Cathedral City and charged with federal hate crimes. The hate crime charges were based in part on reports of incidents which may not have constituted a crime at the time but helped build the case that led to the federal hate crime indictments.

ADL Los Angeles Regional Director Jeffrey Abrams pictured with LAPD Chief Moore.

With the Jewish community shaken, ADL held a forum in May 2023 where Chief Moore heard community leaders’ concerns about the inability to report hate incidents through the LAPD’s online system. Upon learning this, Chief Moore assigned Assistant Chief Blake Chow to gather a task force of internal experts, LA City partners and community organizations such as ADL. Their collective work led to today’s announcement of an enhanced online reporting system.

“This is truly groundbreaking in many ways and a testament to LAPD being responsive and to community partnerships,” ADL Los Angeles Regional Director Jeffrey I. Abrams said. “As we create solutions that address expressions of hate in all its forms, whether a crime or not, it is essential that we take a community- and victim-centered approach. Thankfully, that is exactly what Chief Moore and Assistant Chief Chow did and we are grateful to them for swiftly acting on the concerns of a community in crisis.”

This online system will now allow reporting of hate incidents which impact all communities. Not only can victims themselves file reports, but friends, family, and trusted organizations such as ADL can assist in filing reports as well. Ultimately, it will provide law enforcement agencies, community organizations and the public with more insights into hate which can drive meaningful policy to help prevent hate crimes and hate incidents from occurring in the first place.

Media contact: Laura Fennell
lfennell@adl.org