Improving Hate Crime Reporting among LGBTQ+ Populations

The proposed project aims to investigate the social ecological context of anti-LGBTQ+ hate crime reporting and classification from diverse perspectives with the goal of increasing reporting and processing of such incidents.  This project has three primary objectives: (1) identify the characteristics of victims of sexual orientation and gender identity bias-motivated violence and assess how those relate to victims’ decisions to report crimes and to whom; (2) evaluate law enforcement policies, procedures, and practices related to responding to violence against LGBTQ+ victims and assess how those relate to law enforcement decisions to categorize such incidents as hate crimes; and (3) develop evidence-based policy standards and procedural tools for law enforcement to increase accurate reporting and classification of anti-LGBTQ+ hate crimes.  This study will employ a three-stage, mixed-methods research approach working in partnership with police departments in four regionally diverse jurisdictions: Atlanta GA (Southeast), Dallas TX (Southwest), San Diego CA (West), and Milwaukee WI (Midwest). Stage 1 of the project will include conducting a quantitative web-survey of relevant community, interpersonal, and individual characteristics of local LGBTQ+ adults, as well as an environmental scan of policies and procedures related to hate crime reporting in local police departments.  Stage 2 of the project will include in-depth interviews with LGBTQ+ victims and law enforcement to evaluate individual decision-making processes of hate crime reporting and classification. Stage 3 will leverage results from Stages 1 and 2 to develop and disseminate a set of evidence-based recommendations for law enforcement to increase the accurate reporting and classification of anti-LGBTQ+ hate crimes. Project findings will be disseminated via scientific journals and be used to develop policy standards and tools for law enforcement. This research-to-translation approach will help to advance scholarship on anti-LGBTQ+ hate crime reporting and will directly advance the law enforcement policies, procedures, and statutes used for identifying and defining hate crimes against LGBTQ+ populations.

Note: This project contains a research and/or development component, as defined in applicable law," and complies with Part 200 Uniform Requirements - 2 CFR  200.210(a)(14). CA/NCF