Orange-Osceola state attorney creates hate crimes task force with $1 million federal grant

The Orange-Osceola State Attorney’s Office announced Tuesday that it will expand efforts to combat hate crimes through a newly created task force funded by a federal grant, at a time when civil rights groups warn of a rising number of incidents and organized hate groups.

U.S. Department of Justice’s Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. The $1 million grant provided by the program is one of 11 grants awarded to law enforcement agencies nationwide and the only one of its kind awarded to a Florida agency this year.

The State Attorney’s Office said the donation will be used to fund training programs for officers and prosecutors investigating hate crimes and to create an online reporting system in partnership with the Stono Institute for Freedom, Justice and Security. According to its website, Stono is a think tank dedicated to combating existential threats to Black life and freedom.

Additionally, the money will go toward community mediation efforts to address nonviolent hate crimes and expand community outreach to educate the public on how to report such incidents. Grant recipients It was announced by the Ministry of Justice on September 25, It’s part of a $30 million package of various rewards as state and federal officials work to support communities investigating and treating hate incidents.

“Hate crimes are not just attacks on individuals, they are attacks on the fabric of our society,” said State Attorney Andrew Bain. “With this donation, we strengthen our ability to fight hate crimes, support victims and build a more just and safe society.”

Florida reports 231 hate incidents in 2023; This figure was 209 the previous year, an increase of more than 50% compared to 2019. according to federal data. The increase is partly explained by the increasing number of organizations reporting and investigating hate crimes. Florida attorney general’s latest report He noted that despite requirements in state law, only 58 of 254 law enforcement agencies reported hate crimes in 2022; This suggests that such crimes largely go unreported.

The report attributed this to varying definitions of what constitutes a hate crime depending on the institution. Only a handful of agencies in Central Florida report hate crimes to the state in 2022 – Including the Orange County Sheriff’s Office and the Orlando Police Department in Orange County, the Kissimmee Police Department in Osceola County, and the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office. Lake County agencies did not report any hate crimes that year.

Of the 231 incidents reported in 2023, almost half of perpetrators targeted their victims’ race; Among the most notable of these were: Murder of three black people at a grocery store in Jacksonville, He was shot by a white man carrying a rifle decorated with swastikas. Days later, Neo-Nazi groups marched in Altamonte Springs and near Disney Springs.

“Establishing this task force has been a priority for us because of the recent incidents of hate crimes we have seen both across the country and in our own community,” Bain said. “Hate crimes have no place in our society, and we want people to feel safe reporting these crimes knowing their allegations will be taken seriously.”

The Southern Poverty Law Center, which tracks hate crimes and tracks the groups that commit them, said Florida ranked second in the nation for hate and anti-government groups in 2023. That year, the civil rights organization recorded “the largest number of active anti-LGBTQ+ and white nationalist groups” nationwide. According to a report It was published earlier this year.

“These record numbers accompany increases in direct actions against minority groups, including hate crimes and other tactics such as anti-Black and anti-Semitic pamphlets, protests, and intimidation campaigns targeting LGBTQ+ individuals, libraries, schools, and hospitals,” the report concludes. “