Are hate crimes increasing in San Diego?

Rhea Caoile
·2 min read
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SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) found that the number of hate crimes reported nationwide is on the rise, according to data released in its latest report, and San Diego County is no exception.

According to data from the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department (SDSO), there were seven more hate crimes reported across the county last year compared to 2022. The number of reports represent the number of cases, not individual victims, and there may be multiple suspects or victims per case, the SDSO said.

There was a stark increase of hate crimes reported last year in the city of San Marcos — 10 were reported last year compared to just one in 2022.

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The other areas that saw an increase in hate crimes from the year before were Vista, Imperial Beach, Lemon Grove, Pine Valley and Rancho San Diego.

The FBI defines a hate crime as a “committed criminal offense which is motivated, in whole or in part, by the offender’s bias(es) against a: race, religion, disability, sexual orientation, ethnicity, gender or gender identity.”

Speech is not enough to charge a hate crime, according to the SDSO, unless it “threatens violence, targets a specific person or group and the offender must have the ability to carry out the threat.” However, behavior that may lead someone to feel like they were a victim of a hate crime can be categorized as a “hate incident.”

The SDSO data showed the leading motivations behind hate crimes in San Diego County are race/ethnicity, religion and sexual orientation.

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There have been a total of 190 hate crimes reported throughout the county between 2016 to 2023. The hate crime with the most reports based on bias type/motivation was hate crimes targeting “other races/ethnicities,” with seven crimes reported last year, contributing to a total of 15 crimes reported since 2016.

Hate crimes targeting Black or African American people followed with six reports last year, according to the SDSO, and 68 total hate crimes reported in the seven-year timespan.

The SDSO identified antisemitism as the next leading hate crime reported in the county with four reported last year. There have been a total of 20 hate crimes against Jewish people reported to the department between 2016 to 2023.

Meanwhile, 14 total hate crimes have been reported between 2016 to 2023 against Hispanics or Latinos as well as people who identify as lesbian and 12 hate crimes were reported targeting people who identify as gay.

According to the department, the leading suspects of hate crimes in San Diego County between 2016 to 2023 were identified as white (91) and Hispanic (67).

If you or someone you know becomes the victim of a hate crime, you’re encouraged to call 911 in the case of an emergency, contact your local law enforcement agency or the SDSO non-emergency number at 858-565-5200.

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