US Hate Crime Statistics, 2010

The FBI’s 2010 Hate Crime Statistics report recorded 6,628 hate crimes, staying consistent with the numbers from the 2009 report. Traditional crimes become hate crimes when they are committed because of a person’s race, gender, religion or other targeted reason.

The 2010 report highlights the types of biases that motivate hate crimes, the nature of the offenses, information about the victims and offenders, as well as a break down of hate crimes by jurisdiction.

Some statistics from the report include:

Of the 6,628 hate crime incidents reported for 2010, nearly all (6,624) involved a single bias—47.3 percent of the single-bias incidents were motivated by race.

A reported 4,824 offenses were crimes against persons; intimidation accounted for 46.2 percent of these offenses; simple assault for 34.8 percent; and aggravated assault for 18.4 percent.

31.4 percent of reported hate crime incidents took place in or near homes.

The FBI considers the investigation of hate crimes their number one priority as part of their civil rights program. The report was compiled with the support of national and state criminal justice organizations and thousands of law enforcement agencies nationwide who report hate crimes.

US Hate Crime Statistics, 2010 x

Review of the Scientific Approaches Used During the FBI's Investigation of the 2001 Anthrax Letters

A National Research Council committee asked to examine the scientific approaches used and conclusions reached by the Federal Bureau of Investigation during its investigation of the 2001 Bacillus anthracis mailings has determined that it is not possible to reach a definitive conclusion about the origins of the anthrax in letters mailed to New York City and Washington, D.C., based solely on the available scientific evidence.

Findings of the committee's study include:

The FBI correctly identified the dominant organism found in the letters as the Ames strain of B. anthracis.

Silicon was present in significant amounts in the anthrax used in the letters.  But the committee and FBI agree that there is no evidence that the silicon had been added as a dispersant to "weaponize" the anthrax.

Spores in the mailed letters and in RMR-1029, a flask found at the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute for Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID), share a number of genetic similarities consistent with the FBI finding that the spores in the letters were derived from RMR-1029.  However, the committee found that other possible explanations for the similarities -- such as independent, parallel evolution -- were not definitively explored during the investigation.

Flask RMR-1029, identified by the U.S. Department of Justice as the "parent material" for the anthrax in the attack letters, was not the immediate source of spores used in the letters.  As noted by the FBI, one or more derivative growth steps would have been required to produce the anthrax in the attack letters.  Furthermore, the contents of the New York and Washington letters had different physical properties.

Although the FBI's scientific data provided leads as to the origin of anthrax spores in the letters, the committee found that the data did not rule out other possible sources.  The committee recommended that realistic expectations and limitations regarding the use of forensic science need to be clearly communicated to the public.

Following a required FBI security review of the committee's draft report in October 2010, the bureau asked to provide the committee with additional materials and briefings about its investigation.  From these materials the committee learned more about the organization and oversight of the scientific investigation and about the collection and analysis of environmental samples.

Included in the new materials were results of analyses performed on environmental samples collected from an overseas site.  Those analyses yielded inconsistent evidence of the Ames strain of B. anthracis in some samples.  The committee recommends further review of the investigation of overseas environmental samples and of classified investigations carried out by the FBI and Department of Justice. 
  
"The committee commends the FBI for reaching out to the scientific community for assistance early in the anthrax letters investigation," said Alice P. Gast, chair of the committee and president of Lehigh University, Bethlehem, Pa.  "We believe this independent review -- done at the FBI's request -- will help strengthen the law enforcement and national security community's scientific and analytical capabilities in future investigations."

Immediately following the 2001 anthrax attacks, there was no clear organizational structure to assist the FBI in pursuing the scientific investigation.  Over the course of its inquiry, the FBI worked to develop one.  It found and engaged highly qualified scientists from both the government and private sector to give expert scientific advice on anthrax and the attacks.  The bureau appropriately decided to establish a repository of the Ames strain of B. anthracis gathered from laboratories around the world against which to compare the anthrax used in the 2001 mailings.  But problems with the repository, the committee found, limited the strength of conclusions that could be made using it.

During the last decade, new "molecular" scientific methods and insights relevant to this investigation also became available.  "Using tools such as high-throughput, 'next generation' DNA sequencing could have strengthened or weakened the association between spores found in the mailed letters and spores from RMR-1029," said David A. Relman, vice chair of the committee and Thomas C. and Joan M. Merigan Professor, Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, Calif.  "Such new technology will be important to similar investigations in the future."

The Research Council was asked to consider facts and data surrounding the scientific investigation based on documents and oral presentations provided by the FBI and others.  Judging the conduct of the law enforcement inquiry was beyond the scope of this study.  The committee was neither asked for nor offers findings on the possible guilt or innocence of individuals connected with the 2001 B. anthracis mailings.  Moreover, authors of this report did not review classified materials about the case.  Thus, they cannot comment on how classified information may have influenced the course of the FBI's inquiry, including the scientific investigation. 

The FBI asked the Research Council to conduct this independent review in September 2008, and the committee was appointed and began its work in 2009.  In early 2010, the Justice Department closed its investigation of the anthrax mailings, concluding that the attacks were carried out by Bruce Ivins, a scientist at USAMRIID who committed suicide in July 2008.
   
The National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Engineering, Institute of Medicine, and National Research Council make up the National Academies.  They are independent, nonprofit institutions that provide science, technology, and health policy advice under an 1863 congressional charter.  Committee members, who serve pro bono as volunteers, are chosen by the Academies for each study based on their expertise and experience and must satisfy the Academies' conflict-of-interest standards.  The resulting consensus reports undergo external peer review before completion. 

For more information, visit http://national-academies.org/studycommitteprocess.pdf.  A committee roster follows.

Contacts: 
William Skane, Executive Director
Jennifer Walsh, Media Relations Officer
Luwam Yeibio, Media Relations Assistant
Office of News and Public Information
202-334-2138; e-mail news@nas.edu

The Nacional Academies Press. Committee on Review of the Scientific Approaches Used During the FBI's Investigation of the 2001 Bacillus Anthracis Mailings; National Research Council

Review of the Scientific Approaches Used During the FBI's Investigation of the 2001 Anthrax Letters

Hate Crime Statistics, 2010

The Federal Bureau of Investigation released Hate Crime Statistics, 2010 based on information submitted by law enforcement agencies throughout the nation. These data indicate that 6,628 criminal incidents involving 7,699 offenses were reported in 2010 as a result of bias toward a particular race, religion, sexual orientation, ethnicity/national origin, or physical or mental disability.

Hate Crime Statistics, 2010 includes the following information:

Of the 6,624 single bias incidents, 47.3 percent were motivated by a racial bias, 20.0 percent were motivated by a religious bias, 19.3 percent were motivated by a sexual orientation bias, and 12.8 percent were motivated by an ethnicity/national origin bias. Bias against a disability accounted for 0.6 percent of single-bias incidents.

There were 4,824 hate crime offenses classified as crimes against persons. Intimidation accounted for 46.2 percent of these crimes, simple assaults for 34.8 percent, and aggravated assaults for 18.4 percent. In addition, seven murders were reported as hate crimes.

There were 2,861 hate crime offenses classified as crimes against property; most of these (81.1 percent) were acts of destruction/damage/vandalism. The remaining 18.9 percent of crimes against property consisted of robbery, burglary, larceny theft, motor vehicle theft, arson, and other offenses.

Of the 6,008 known offenders, 58.6 percent were white and 18.4 percent were black. For 12.0 percent, the race was unknown, and the remaining known offenders were of other races.

The largest percentage (31.4 percent) of hate crime incidents occurred in or near homes. Another 17.0 percent took place on highways, roads, alleys, or streets; 10.9 percent happened at schools or colleges; 5.8 percent in parking lots or garages; and 3.7 percent in churches, synagogues, or temples. The location was considered other or unknown for 14.3 percent of hate crime incidents. The remaining 16.9 percent of hate crime incidents took place at other specified locations or multiple locations.

Hate Crime Statistics, 2010