Hate crimes in Virginia were up just more than 18 percent, and in the District of Columbia they rose 8 percent last year, according to an FBI report released Monday.
Virginia had 389 hate crimes, up from 328 in 2005. There were 64 reported cases in D.C. in 2006, up from 59 the previous year. Maryland reported 218 incidents, up under 5 percent from the 208 cases in 2005.
D.C.’s increase tracks with nationwide figures, which also show crimes fueled by hate or prejudice rising nearly 8 percent. But most such crimes in D.C. were based on the victim’s sexual orientation, while more than half the nation’s hate crimes were motivated by race.
D.C. police spokesman Traci Hughes disputed the conclusion that hate crime is on the rise in the city.
Hughes said the numbers are higher because D.C. police are doing a better job of teaching people to report incidents of hate. The D.C. police department has its own Gay and Lesbian Liaison Unit, Latino Liaison Unit, Asian Liaison Unit and the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Unit.
“There are more hate crimes being reported because the public is better educated about what constitutes hate- or bias-related crimes,” Hughes said.
Thirty-six of the reported hate crimes in D.C. were based on sexual orientation, 11 on race, five on religion, three on ethnicity and one on disability.
Of the 64 hate crimes in D.C. last year, 24 were aggravated assaults, 17 were simple assaults and two were robberies.
Nationwide, the number of hate crimes rose from 7,163 in 2005 to 7,722 last year.
