Tacoma's hate-crime stats high

At first blush, the number of hate crimes reported in Tacoma last year is alarming.

According to FBI statistics, 35 hate crimes were reported to police in 2010. That’s more than any other city or county in the state, including Seattle, Vancouver and Spokane.

And it was more than triple the number reported in 2009, when Tacoma police investigated 11 hate crimes.

But police Lt. David O’Dea said the 2010 number isn’t as bad as it sounds.

“Don’t judge the book by its cover,” he cautioned.

In the end, three of the reports led to a hate crime-related charge.

One thing to remember, O’Dea said, is that the FBI statistics reflect the crimes reported to police as hate crimes, but not all of those incidents turn out to be hate crimes – as defined by state statute.

Some incidents automatically are categorized as a hate crime – for example, a swastika painted on a fence or a burning cross.

Others are labeled as hate crimes based on the victim’s belief that he or she was targeted because of race, religion, gender, sexual orientation or handicap.

“(The FBI number) is based on the victim’s initial report with no investigation being done,” O’Dea said.

Often times, detectives look into the crime, arrest a suspect and ask about the motivation for the incident. The suspect’s reason isn’t always based on his perception of the victim.

“There might be criminal intent but no intent with regards to a hate crime,” O’Dea said. “At the end of the day we come up with one to two to three a year that are hate crimes and prosecuted as such.”

He cited a case from last year in which the victim was assaulted and believed the reason was because of sexual orientation. Detectives arrested a suspect, who said he didn’t know what the victim’s sexual orientation was.

Another reported the crime was fueled by alcohol, not hate, O’Dea said.

“The suspect was just beyond legally drunk and had no idea,” he added.

Last year’s hate crime number also was skewed by a series of incidents believed to be committed by one person, O’Dea said. The suspect is believed responsible for 12 vandalisms in the North End, marking up property with a dry erase marker.

“Some of the things he wrote and symbols he drew met the statute of a hate crime,” O’Dea said. “There were racial slurs in one case but the victim wasn’t of that race and didn’t feel it was a hate crime.”

Police investigators have been trying to contact the suspect, who is developmentally disabled. They have knocked on his door, left notes and sent letters but haven’t connected with him yet, O’Dea said.

“I would be more concerned if the neighbors in the community” were more concerned, he added. “They can potentially understand why the person is doing it.”

Pierce County Prosecutor Mark Lindquist said his office sees only a few hate crimes that are prosecuted under the malicious harassment statute.

“By the time they make it to us it is a more traditional crime of harassment or assault,” Lindquist said.

Through the end of November, 20 hate crimes had been reported to police this year. One incident involves the suspect from the 2010 vandalism incidents in the North End.

“A couple others were symbols on a church in the North End but they believe it was just kids,” O’Dea said. “They don’t feel threatened per say.”

Of the incidents this year, one stands out as particularly concerning, O’Dea said.

A young developmentally disabled woman was attacked Nov. 5 at Wapato Park as she walked hand-in-hand with her caregiver. The attacker called the women “lesbians,” then grabbed the woman’s hair.

Detectives have received three tips so far about the attacker’s identity and were investigating them.

“It’s the one that concerns me the most because it most fits the definition of the hate crime,” O’Dea said.

Stacey Mulick: 253-597-8268 stacey.mulick@thenewstribune.com blog.thenewstribune.com/crime

according to law

Hate crimes are prosecuted as a charge of malicious harassment.

Under state law:

A person is guilty of malicious harassment if he or she maliciously and intentionally commits one of the following acts because of his or her perception of the victim’s race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, gender, sexual orientation or mental, physical or sensory handicap:

 • Causes physical injury to the victim or another person.

 • Causes physical damage to or destruction of the property of the victim or another person.

 • Threatens a specific person or group of persons and places that person, or members of the specific group of persons, in reasonable fear of harm to person or property.

Source: Revised Code of Washington 9A.36.080