Dallas (WBAP/KLIF News) – Hate crimes dipped slightly from 2014 to 2015, according to the FBI. According to the report, about 4,500 people were victims of hate crimes, and there were 2,600 cases of hates crimes against property. Crimes against people included murder, rape, simple and aggravated assault, while crimes against property includes vandalism, arson, theft and burglary.
The report states that blacks were the most targeted racial group, making up 52% of hate crime victims. That was followed by whites at 19%, Hispanics at 9%, and Asians at 3%.
In the category of religious hate crimes, Jews were most often targeted, at 52%. They were followed by Muslims at 22%, while Catholics and followers of the Eastern Orthodox Church made up 4% each.
But Danny Defenbaugh, a retired FBI agent and president of Dallas-based Defenbaugh and Associates, says the report leaves out one key statistic.
“The stats are not showing the injuries or the attacks on police officers, as being hate crimes,” said Defenbaugh. “As you know, as you know, here on July 7th, the subject even admitted he was targeting white police officers.”
He says that’s probably because of the legal definition of “hate crime”, which doesn’t include police. Some states, including Texas, are said to be considering legally changing the scope of hate crimes to include police officers.
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