Understanding and Evaluating Police Bias Crime Unit Practice and Impact

The proposed project’s goal is to address the longstanding gaps in knowledge related to law enforcement specialized bias crime investigative units through a comprehensive multisite evaluation. The primary purpose is to understand the structures, practices, and intended outcomes of specialized bias crime investigative units; identify different unit models; and assess their impact on hate crime identification and case clearance. The project activities include (1) fielding a survey of existing specialized bias crime units to develop a taxonomy and classify unit models according to their structures, practices, and intended outcomes; (2) conducting in-depth case studies of five bias crime units to generate a fine-grained understanding of identification and investigation practices employed by these units; and (3) analyzing hate crime data to assess the effectiveness of bias crime units in identifying and clearing bias-motivated crimes. The expected outcomes include the establishment of an evidence base and associated guidance for agencies to implement or adapt specialized responses to hate crimes. The service area encompasses county and municipal jurisdictions across the United States, with a focus on areas where there is a need for specialized bias crime response. The intended beneficiaries of the project include law enforcement agencies interested in implementing bias crime units or those currently operating them, as well as communities impacted by hate crimes. Additionally, subrecipient activities involve partnering with law enforcement agencies including the Seattle Police Department, Portland Police Bureau, Raleigh Police Department, Cambridge Police Department, Denver Police Department, D.C. Metro Police Department, and Randolph Police Department, along with subject matter experts in the field and a victim advocacy organization focused on bias-motivated crimes. These entities will contribute to the project's steering committee and participate in data collection and analysis activities to ensure alignment with the needs and perspectives of the law enforcement community and those most affected by hate crimes. CA/NCF