Hate crimes in the United States

Possibly the federal marshalls. I don't think there's any agency specifically assigned to hate crimes. I'm not really sure where local jurisdiction would end and federal jurisdiction take over. Puma

The FBI has a hate crime task force.

The state bureacracy would be that state's troopers/highway patrol for a state police agency but obviously they have their usu jurisdiction that probably does not overlap the local unit of your setting (which prob helps your story)...all states also have an AG who can focus investigatory resources. When the DOJ gets involved (usu through the FBI) they oft charge under what we call 1983 (an old, broad law of about 70 words that let's folks be charged for violating civ rts) for short. If memory serves, it's 42 US 1983.

The Southern Poverty Law Center has wonderful info on hate crimes. Active map...pick the state in question and study. Appalling.

When crimes fall into the category of hate crimes, they are federal crimes (as apposed to state crimes), therefore the FBI would become involved.

It also depends on who the victims are. If it is Jews, the Anti-defamation league would be interested.

Which specific agency would depend on the state. Which US state is your story set in?

Is the entire crime ignored or just the hate-crime aspect? In other words do the perps get charged with murder/man slaughter/etc without the hate-crime tacked on? If so, the US Attorney General's office would most likely investigate (if the State AG didn't).

If the crimes are being ignored completely, then the FBI or the AG (if not the state SBI and AG).

I'm not an expert on law enforcement, but that's my understanding of it.

Prawn said:

It also depends on who the victims are.

Click to expand...

And, of course, depending of the group that we're talking about, every state may not have hate crime legislation to cover it.

For instance, we still don't have have a national hate crime law against targeting LGBT people. Most states don't either.