HATE CRIME FREQUENCY HAS DROPPED IN STATE SINCE AFTER 9-11 ATTACKS.Byline: David M. Drucker Staff Writer The number of hate crimes in California declined significantly in 2002 after spiking following the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, according to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. a state report released Tuesday. Attorney General Bill Lockyer William Westwood "Bill" Lockyer (born May 8, 1941) is the current State Treasurer of California. Prior to this, he served as California's Attorney General and head of the Department of Justice for the U.S. state of California. said the total hate crimes reported in 2002 fell 26.6 percent from 2001, while incidents targeted at people of ``other ethnicity or national origin''- including those of Middle Eastern and Arab descent - dropped 53.5 percent. a very promising development,'' Lockyer said. ``It is heartening heart·en tr.v. heart·ened, heart·en·ing, heart·ens To give strength, courage, or hope to; encourage. See Synonyms at encourage. Adj. 1. to see that Californians are becoming more united in appreciating and embracing our state's incredible diversity.'' California's compilation of hate-crimes data stems from a 1986 state law directing the Department of Justice to work with local law enforcement agencies A law enforcement agency (LEA) is a term used to describe any agency which enforces the law. This may be a local or state police, federal agencies such as the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) or the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). to collect information on such incidents. The first report was published in 1995. Some disagree with Verb 1. disagree with - not be very easily digestible; "Spicy food disagrees with some people" hurt - give trouble or pain to; "This exercise will hurt your back" collecting and classifying the data on the grounds it elevates some crime victims above others. Why, critics ask, should one murder or assault victim be given special attention under the law? Glenn Ellmers, director of research for The Claremont Institute The Claremont Institute is a conservative think tank based in Claremont, California. The mission of the Claremont Institute is "to restore the principles of the American Founding to their rightful, preeminent authority in our national life. , a conservative Inland Empire think tank, said prosecutors and judges for years have examined motives when determining criminal punishment, and he finds nothing wrong with that. ``But to codify codify to arrange and label a system of laws. certain categories of victims as worthy of greater attention is getting back to this crazy liberal idea of fixating on people's races and is to say that other victims are less deserving,'' Ellmers said. Supporters of classifying and prosecuting ``hate crimes'' note that such an act against one individual actually targets an entire community, be it ethnic, religious, racial or otherwise. Lockyer, in the mission statement he penned for the 2002 report, calls hate crimes ``the most dehumanizing of crimes,'' and adds ``we must increase our efforts to curtail these acts.'' David Drucker, (816) 442-5096 david.drucker(at)dailybulletin.com |
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