FBI Releases 2004 Hate Crime Statistics

The FBI says that 7,649 hate crimes were reported in 2004 -- crimes resulting from antagonism toward a particular race, religion, sexual orientation, ethnicity/national origin, or physical or mental disability.

According to the new FBI report, "Hate Crime Statistics, 2004" incidents reported in 2004 involved 9,035 offenses and 9,528 victims. The report indicated 2004 hate crimes fell into the following categories:

• Racial bias 52.9 percent
  
• Religious intolerance 18.0 percent
  
• Sexual orientation 15.7 percent
  
• Ethnicity/national origin 12.7 percent
  
• Disability Less than 1.0 percent

Under crimes against persons, the most-often reported bias-motivated offense was intimidation, comprising 50.1 percent of the total. Simple assault accounted for 31.0 percent of such offenses. Murder and forcible rape each accounted for less than 0.1 percent of the total, with five murders and four forcible rapes. The remaining offenses were in the category of other, accounting for 0.3 percent.

In property crimes, damage, destruction and vandalism were the most-often reported bias-motivated offense, accounting for 84.4 percent of the total. Of the crimes against property 51.4 percent of those offenses targeted individuals, 10.4 percent were against businesses and/or financial institutions, 8.1 percent were against governmental entities, and 7.6 percent were against religious organizations.

Source: FBI News Release

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