Hate Crimes Unit
Hate crimes inflict incalculable physical and emotional damage on victims. They effect individual victims and perpetuate a message of intolerance and discrimination which reverberates through the entire community to which the victim belongs. Response to a hate crime must be decisive, professional and consider the needs of the victim and the community. Recognition of the gravity of hate crimes requires the commitment of expert investigators, sensitive supervisors and dedicated resources able to immediately and efficiently respond to any reported crime committed against a person or property because of race, religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation, color, national origin, ancestry, gender, age or disability.
In the Suffolk County Police Department’s continuing effort to improve our service to the diverse population within our communities, effective July 3, 2006, the Hate Crimes Unit was strengthened by its affiliation in the Detective Division. Through this affiliation additional Detectives assigned to other specialized investigative units within the Detective Division will be readily available to assist Hate Crimes Detectives in their investigations. Additionally, we have reached out to the East End Police Departments and advised them of our enhanced investigative resources and our desire to assist them in any way possible in the investigation of hate crimes. By re-deploying the Hate Crimes Unit to the Detective Division, we now have additional resources (detectives) to assist with the anticipated requests for assistance from East End Police Departments.
FOLLOWING ARE A FEW POINTS THAT HIGHLIGHT SOME OF THE BENEFITS THIS CHANGE HAS PROVIDED:
- All investigators currently assigned to Hate Crimes will remain intact and dedicated to Hate Crimes Investigations.
- Assignment to the Detective Division will afford the Hate Crimes Unit immediate access to additional investigative resources and personnel, under a unified chain of command, that may be necessary to effectively respond to a major case and forestall potential violence or reprisals resulting from a hate crime.
- All investigations will be analyzed by the Criminal Intelligence Section to assist in identifying perpetrators, establish any linkages to organized hate groups, monitor the activities of any such groups, and to assist in developing strategies to proactively reduce Hate Crimes by identifying and exposing proclaimed causative factors, educating the public, and attempting to prevent the escalation of any existing community tensions.
- The Detective Division interacts on a daily basis with members of the media. This established relationship will highlight our commitment to aggressively investigate any hate crime and get the message out that hate crimes will not be tolerated in Suffolk County.
- Assignment to the Detective Division will enhance effectiveness by enabling Hate Crimes Detectives to work cooperatively with investigators assigned to all the local precincts in the county who are intimately familiar with their communities to:
- Facilitate investigations;
- Assist in supporting victims after the crime;
- Open doors to enable planned community outreach programs designed to enlist support, promote understanding and increase tolerance.
To report a crime dial 911. To contact Hate Crimes dial 631-852-HATE (631-852-4283).
Email: SCPD.HateCrimesUnitList@suffolkcountyny.gov
What is a hate crime?