It seems surreal that hate crimes happen. In the age of self-driving cars and IoT, we’re still having to contend with unimaginable crimes today. It would really put us backward instead of forward. When a prehistoric man kills his neighbor, he might have been moved by strong emotions. But his sense of right and wrong are not as shaped as our laws today. No matter the size of the eyes of the color of the skin, murder is a crime.
Unfortunately, hate crimes are growing steadily year in year out FBI data shows. Of late, George Floyd’s murder sent chills throughout the world and galvanized people to action. That’s when Black Lives Matter sprung into action seeping into such famous halls as the NBA. Reverberating throughout the world as statues of famous slave owners of yesteryear went tumbling down.
Now the question is what are you to do to protect your community? Think about it. Your inaction could cause lives. As clearly established, hate crimes can be as subtle as name-calling. Or as brutal as murder. Whatever form hate crimes take, taking it out of the picture is a must. Check out 3 ways how.
Prevention is the Best Cure
In 2019, FBI data show there were 7,314 hate crimes all over America. And that number was an increase to the year before which tallied 7,120 hate crimes. Additionally, there were 51 hate-crime related murders that were accounted for in 2019. Needless to say, it’s one death too many. Worse, it is estimated these crimes are under-reported. And it’s possible that there are more crimes that actually happen all over the country.
To note, hate crimes include theft, vandalism, and murder just to name a few. So long as a crime is done because of a bias or prejudice towards a person, it’s a hate crime. The most common bases for hate crimes are race, religion, and sexual orientation.
In a sense, this also underscores the need for proper court records to determine if a crime is a hate crime. Thus, it’s paramount that a competent court reporter stenographer sits and records such legal proceedings. With his expertise and experience, an able court reporter can help serve justice for a hate crime faster.
But court proceedings are not the ideal ground to curb hate crimes. The best method to contain these is the prevention of these crimes. We could say even that the court is a defeat as the crime has already been committed.
To do that, community leaders must make it clear that the community will not tolerate hate crimes. As unacceptable as these crimes are, leaders must make sure a constant reminder to everyone in the community is heard.
In this regard, communication protocols such as texting or chats must be explored to prevent possible incidents. Anonymous two-way texting could be helpful to encourage reporting of suspicious behavior without the fear of violent retaliation.
Better Situational Awareness
A major contributing aspect to the success of the endeavor is threat assessment. As such, threat assessment is a foremost violence prevention tool. By identifying individuals or hate groups who are most likely to commit a crime is a good first step.
Additionally, the credibility of the threat must be determined. Right from the get-go, intervention plans must be developed to counter these threats. Also, forums and venues that foment such acts such as internet hate forums must be dealt with.
Moreover, certain tools can help first-responders to better situational awareness allowing the immediate dispatch of aid. For instance, there are apps that allow 911 distress callers to be identified with their location data. ;
With better legislation such as the Threats to Equality Act of 2017, your community has received a shot in the arm in combating hate crimes. It is important that you get in touch with law enforcement and legal luminaries in your area to expand your capabilities.
Cutting Response Time by Half
When incidents happen, oftentimes, the time element is vital in saving a victim. This is especially true when shots are fired or when a stabbing incident is reported. Indeed, when violent crimes happen, seconds matter.
A community watch can be a great way to enhance the timely execution of support when a crime is committed. Even better, communities can have members trained in first aid, CPR, and other life-saving techniques to help someone in distress.
The good news is technology can play a pivotal role in ensuring help arrives when needed. There are a host of apps available online that can be downloaded for use to help fight crime. So long as people are vigilant, hate crimes can be put to a minimum. It’s apparent. When citizens bond themselves to fight a threat, great things can happen.
