hate crimes increase for the second year in a row – reuters
“There were 6,121 recorded hate crime incidents last year, a nearly 5 percent increase from 2015 and a 10 percent increase from 2014, according to the U.S. Hate Crime Statistics Report. Federal Bureau of Investigation”. – Reuters
since 1992, the federal bureau of investigation keeps statistics. While many experts say these crimes go unreported to the FBI, the growing trend here is undeniable.
what is a hate crime?
The FBI defines a hate crime as a “crime in which the perpetrators acted on the basis of prejudice against the victim’s race, color, religion, or national origin.” they also include “crimes committed against persons based on bias based on actual or perceived sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, or gender.”
These types of crimes manifest as “a traditional crime such as murder, arson, or vandalism with an added element of bias.”
what does this mean for my organization?
targeting a person or organization based on their place of work, or a non-profit organization’s mission, or an organization’s goals is a real and present danger.
what the fbi also points out is that hateful individuals and groups often find fertile places to plant the seeds of domestic terrorism. Whether the hate crime is committed by a group or by a lone wolf, incidents are generally on the rise.
Is hate really against the law?
hate crimes include all true crimes, only with the additional bias that it is real or perceived. Of course, using the mail to harm an organization or individual is illegal. So for mail security, whether it’s a mail bomb or just a fake letter with white powder attached, these are crimes that can be motivated by hate.
In addition, federal law and most state laws make it illegal to send threatening letters.
what is the difference between threatening letters and hate letters?
Threatening letter: According to the United States Postal Inspection Service (USPI), it is a letter “threatening the reputation of a person, blackmail or extortion through the mail”. this is considered a federal crime.
hate mail: This is a letter that generally contains negative, hostile, and hurtful language directed at a person or group based on prejudice. if the letter does not contain certain threats, it is sometimes not considered a crime.
what is the danger?
While there is always the potential for hate crimes by sending chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, and explosive/bomb threats, threatening letters are also illegal.
Organizations can easily be targeted for their beliefs or the causes they espouse. these can be political, religious or social. locally or globally, the motivation for hate crime is sometimes just based on a company having a well-known brand where hate would have its greatest impact for notoriety.
Hate crimes motivated by hatred of a religion increased last year, with an increase in the number of crimes against Jews and Muslims. – wall street journal
These hateful and disturbed organizations and individuals are always looking for ways to get their message out, while often the groups would also like to increase their membership.
what should we look for?
again, in the case of hate crimes, the full spectrum of all potential mail threats must be mitigated. all grounds for doubt or suspicion should be taken seriously.
Any of these elements or a combination may indicate a dangerous package: • excessive postage • sealed with tape and additional material • restrictive markings such as “personal” or “private” • missing return address • lopsided or lopsided package • strange odors, stains, or leaks • misspelled or typed addresses • misspelled words • return address from a foreign country or does not match the postmark
Basic steps for mailroom security include:
1. provide training 2. put a plan in writing 3. install the correct sensor equipment 4. train employees 5. conduct practice drills
if this is not possible, consider outsourcing mail checking to a third party or sending mail to a third party checking facility.
As always, I appreciate your feedback. smartin@sobran-inc.com