Hate / Bias Crimes

The Wilton Manors Police Department is committed to letting our community know that hate and bias motivated crimes will not be tolerated.  As such, reporting and investigating these hate crimes is a top priority for our agency. Chief Gary Blocker states, “Our Police Department remains passionate in our endeavor to promote a safe Island City that one day can be free of hatred and bias. Our agency stands ready to eradicate hate through our commitment to aggressively investigate crimes predicated on bias.”

We encourage anyone in our community who has been the possible victim of a hate crime (regardless of the nature or type of incident) to come forward, report the crime or incident, and to work with us to bring the perpetrators to justice. Should you experience an incident of this nature and need emergency assistance please call 9-1-1 otherwise call 954-764-HELP (4357) for non-emergencies.  Another source to report hate crimes is directly to the Broward County State Attorney's Office Hate Crimes Unit.  For more information about their Hate Crimes Unit, or to file a report with them, please visit their website by clicking HERE. 

There are certain definitions and laws that help define hate crimes.  For the purposes of collecting statistics, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has defined a hate crime as a “criminal offense against a person or property motivated in whole or in part by an offender’s bias against a race, religion, disability, sexual orientation, ethnicity, gender, or gender identity.” Hate itself is not a crime - and the FBI is mindful of protecting freedom of speech and other civil liberties.  Federal Laws enacted by Congress providing identification and prosecution of Hate Crimes include:

• Civil Rights Act (1968)
• Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act (1994)
• Church Arson Prevention Act (1996)
• Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act (2009)

The Wilton Manors Police Department fully endorses the Florida Anti-Defamation League in their efforts with the Florida Hate Crime Coalition in support of the 2020 Hate Crime Bill.

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement (F.S.S. 775.085 & F.S.S. 877.19) defines Hate Crime as a committed or attempted criminal act by any person or group of persons against a person or the property of another person or group, which in any way constitutes an expression of hatred toward the victim because of his/her personal characteristics.  Personal characteristics include: 

• race/color
• gender/gender identity
• religion
• ethnicity/ancestry/national origin
• sexual orientation
• advanced age
• mental/physical disability
• homeless status

These are some steps you can take if you have been the victim of a Hate Crime:

• Get medical help if necessary
• Write down any and all of the details of the incident as soon as possible. Include the perpetrator[s] gender, age, height, race, weight, clothes and other distinguishing characteristics. If any threats or biased comments were made (such as anti-gay epithets)
• File a police report 
• If you believe the incident was bias-motivated, urge the officer to check the “hate/bias-motivation” or “hate crime/incident” box and have them complete this section on the police report.
• Notify your local community organizations about the incident
• Find support from friends and/or family
• Seek professional help from an affirmative therapist
• Use local and national resources:
  • SunServe
  • Equality Florida
  • The Pride Center at Equality Park
  • National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs
  • National Association for the Advancement of Colored People
  • National Organization for Victim Assistance
  • Goodman Jewish Family Services
  • Women in Distress