MAC schools' reported hate crimes from 2013-15
Ball State: 0
Eastern Michigan University: 1
Miami University: 7
Bowling Green State University: 6
Central Michigan University: 0
Kent State University: 3
Northern Illinois University: 1
Ohio University: 0
University at Buffalo: 0
University of Akron: 0
University of Toledo: 4
Western Michigan University: 0
A bill targeting hate crimes has once again not made it past the Indiana legislature, which keeps the state one of five without such a law.
Only 67 hate crimes were reported to the FBI in Indiana in 2015, out of 6,000 in the United States. And at Ball State, no hate crimes have been recorded since at least 2007, according to campus crime reports.
But that doesn’t mean they aren’t happening.
Hate crimes are vastly underreported, and even FBI director James Comey has spoken about the need to improve the reporting system.
“We need to do a better job of tracking and reporting hate crime to fully understand what is happening in our communities and how to stop it,” Comey said in a 2014 speech at the Anti-Defamation League National Leadership Summit.
A 2013 study by the Bureau of Justice Statistics found from 2007 to 2011, only 35 percent of hate crime victimizations were reported to police. This is down nearly 10 percent from 2003 to 2006.
RELATED: No reported hate crimes may not be whole story, officials say
In Indiana, an Associated Press investigation found that more than half of law enforcement agencies don’t submit hate crime date to the FBI, which makes the state the fourth worst in the nation at reporting.
In order to increase reporting, Ball State and cities around the U.S. have taken steps to create programs that make it easier for victims to talk to police.
Ball State created an app this year to educate students on what bias is and how to report it. The app, B3-Ball State, provides resources and contact information for reporting crimes. Students can even download the report form directly from the app.
In Seattle, a police officer started the Safe Place Initiative to encourage people to report hate crimes. The program offers stickers to local businesses to let victims know they are a safe place to report hate crimes.
Jim Ritter, the officer who started the program, said businesses who want to participate only have to promise to assist any victim of a crime, specifically a hate crime, who comes to them and to allow victims to stay on the premises until police arrive.
“We want to make sure reports are being made … and we don’t want victims sent back out to get victimized,” Ritter said.
The program started a conversation that many people have not had before, Ritter said. And it led to more hate crimes being reported.
“If it’s not documented, it never happened,” Ritter said. “And we can’t devote resource to it if we don’t know it happened.”
In the first few weeks of the program, eight felony assaults were reported during pride weekend, seven of which resulted in arrests. That's almost unheard of, Ritter said.
But because the calls came in immediately, it was easier to apprehend a suspect, Ritter said.
“The anxiety those victims had was put to rest,” Ritter said, “and we had the community getting involved.”
The Seattle program was specifically designed for hate crimes against the LGBT community, Ritter said, but it works for victims of any crime.
“It’s done great for the city and it helps us have a conversation we haven’t had before,” Ritter said. “It opens people’s mind about what others go through.”
The initiative has spread to places like Orlando, Vancouver and Tuscon, Arizona, Ritter said, and many other departments have expressed interest in getting involved. Colleges like the University of California have implemented the program, and Ritter said it could be beneficial if it spread to other campuses.
“[The initiative] shows there’s inclusivity and diversity and increased awareness on hate crimes,” Ritter said.
But University Police Department Chief Jim Duckham said the Safe Place Initiative would be hard to implement on a campus the size of Ball State’s. But he said the idea of it was great.
“I think we do a good job at telling people about reporting and encouraging [reporting],” Duckham said. “I want people to report all crimes, but certainly for crimes where they feel attacked based on their sexual orientation, gender or race, it’s important we know and see if there’s a pattern or if we can provide support for those who may have been a victim.”
Safe Place Initiative, however, is similar to the Safezone training Ball State already offers, where people can learn about LGBT issues so they can become allies and advocates.
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