Dozens of people showed up at a library in Darien to understand how hate crimes are reported in our state. Connecticut State Police say more have been happening in the last five years and they expect that trend to continue.
“I’m interested in what makes people tick so the idea of hate and understanding it better appeals to me,” Joan Madison of Stamford said.
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WATCH HEREAn appeal that brought people like Joan Madison and her husband Stu to the library in Darien Thursday to learn what state police are doing about hate crimes.
“How do you fix it if you can?” Stu Madison of Stamford said.
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SIGN UP Public safety commissioner Ronnell Higgins says that means a multi-pronged approach, talking about the role of police and civilians.
“We want to educate our communities as to what a hate crime is and what steps they can take if in fact they feel they’ve been a victim of a hate crime,” he said.
This comes as state police say the number of reported hate crimes jumped from 87 in 2021 to 137 last year, a more than 50% increase and most cases involved race and religion. But the agency believes those numbers are underreported. They think victims may not be comfortable coming to police and instead report it to groups like the Anti-Defamation League.
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ADL regional director Stacey Sobel says they have their stats to back up that theory.
“Over the last five years, we've had a 650% increase in hate incidents of all kinds reported to our office,” she said.
Sobel and state police are urging people to report any possible hate crimes so they can get involved.
“I think if we all do our job and speak out against it, we're really going to have an impact,” Sobel said.
“Even if you don’t want to report it yourself for whatever reason, report it to someone else that they can get the message to us and police can get involved,” Commissioner Higgins said.
If you’re interested in learning more about hate crimes and how to report them, you can attend one of these events. The next one is set for Waterbury next month.
