Anne Arundel County Hate Crime Prevention

The Anne Arundel County Police Department proposes to implement the Shepard-Byrd Hate Crimes Project. The purpose is to develop a comprehensive approach to hate crime prevention, investigation, and prosecution, and to provide services for victims of hate bias incidents in Anne Arundel County, Maryland.

Project activities include the development of a countywide hate crimes strategy; a countywide conference on hate crimes for all law enforcement agencies, prosecutors, and community partners; educational programs on hate crimes for leadership-level law enforcement officials and prosecutors; training for officers on hate crime investigation strategies; procurement of enhanced surveillance equipment such as infrared cameras to capture incidents that occur at night; development and delivery of organizational cultural assessments for law enforcement agencies; enhanced police department staffing for community outreach; community hate bias forums sponsored by the County Human Relations Commission; development and production of hate crime informational materials in English, Spanish, and Korean; and establishment of a hate crimes victims' assistance program.

Expected outcomes include increased coordination between federal, state, and local law enforcement and prosecutorial agencies to address hate crime prevention, investigation, and prosecution; increased public awareness of hate crime laws, reporting mechanisms, and regional trends; increased reporting from communities that are less likely to report incidents; enhanced law enforcement capacity to investigate and resolve incidents; and increased strategies to bring justice and resources to victims and stakeholders.

The public at large and vulnerable groups (e.g., Blacks, places of worship and religious groups, undocumented persons, residents of susceptible areas of the County, etc.) are the intended beneficiaries of the projects.
Key partners for this project include the Offices of the County Executive, Equity and Human Rights, Community Engagement and Constituent Services, and ArundelStat. Additional partners include the Annapolis Police Department, Crofton Police Department, Anne Arundel Community College Police, Maryland State's Attorney's Office, Maryland Attorney General's Hate Crime Task Force, FBI Civil Rights Program and Field Office, Anne Arundel County Human Relations Commission, Anne Arundel Community College, Anne Arundel County Public Schools, Fraternal Order of Police, and U.S. Department of Justice Community Relations Service.