ATLANTA — The Federal Bureau of Investigation released its 2021 Hate Crime report Monday, which shows hate crimes are up in Georgia from the year before. However, those increasing numbers are likely not accurate, and that's according to the FBI itself.
The agency said its new report on hate crimes in 2021 likely shows an undercount because so many local law enforcement agencies didn't have the software they needed yet – to send in their hate crime numbers to the FBI.
According to the FBI's data, in 2021 there were 238 hate crimes reported to local law enforcement in Georgia, which is up from 2020 when there were 195 reported hate crimes.
Atlanta FBI Supervisory Special Agent Marc Benjamin said their agency prioritizes hate crimes, which is any crime committed against a person based on their gender, religion, sexual orientation, disability or any other protected class.
From Jan. 1, 2021, to Dec. 31, 2021, the most reported hate crime nationally and in Georgia were "crimes involving intimidation, simple assault and destruction of property– vandalism."
"Within Georgia, we saw similar trends and we saw that the victims in the categories of the hate crimes reflected what we saw nationally – it included crimes against people based on their race, sexual orientation and religion – is the top three," Benjamin said.
However, the FBI and Civil Rights organizations agree that there were even more hate crimes than that, due to hate crimes that went unreported last year. That’s because one-third of local law enforcement agencies in Georgia did not even report their hate crimes to the FBI – while they were switching to a new, standardized, data reporting system that many of them now have in place.
Georgia NCAAP's State Conference President Gerald Griggs said getting accurate numbers is crucial, so local police and prosecutors can have all the information they need to combat hate crimes.
"Until we get an accurate picture of the climate through accurate numbers, we can't give a full picture of what we're facing," Griggs said. "But again, we will work with our federal partners and our local partners to make sure we get an accurate count."
In Georgia, the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) Southeast Regional Director Eytan Davidson said there's no question anti-semitism is rising faster than the FBI's numbers show.
“When one individual is targeted by a hate crime, it harms the whole community. And data drives policy. And without having a complete picture of the problem with all reporting jurisdictions participating, we can't even begin to address the recent surges in hate and violence," Davidson said.
The FBI said local law agencies that have switched to the new data reporting system, which they didn’t have in 2021, are already reporting their 2022 numbers. The expectation is that the annual hate crimes report will ultimately include accurate numbers from all law enforcement agencies.
"Our biggest concern with hate crimes is ensuring that the victims of such crimes receive justice and therefore if you've feel you've been a victim of a hate crime, you should reach out to the FBI," Benjamin said.
To report a hate crime, you can contact the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-255-5324) or submit an online tip.