


As co-founder of Gays and Lesbians Opposing Violence, Chris Farris tracks certain statistics from the Metropolitan Police Department.
"There was a 15 percent increase in hate crimes against the GLBT community from 2007 to 2008. If you stopped counting at the end of September of this year, there would still be a 33 percent increase in 2009 from 2008," says Farris.
Yet in spite of the rise, "there is consensus within the law enforcement community that hate-related incidents go unreported," says Albert Herring, who works in the U.S. Attorney's Office, the agency that prosecutes hate crimes.
Both Farris and Herring are encouraging anyone with information on hate crimes to call the D.C. Hate Crimes Hotline at 202.727.0500.
Rebecca Sheir reports...

Help keep the conversation civil. Please refer to our Terms of Use and Code of Conduct before posting your comments.