SOUTH JERSEY (KYW Newsradio) — Instances of hate crimes have been on the rise over the past couple of years nationwide. New Jersey U.S. Attorney Philip Sellinger says not all of them are being reported.
“In many marginalized communities, people are afraid of the police, afraid of the consequences of reporting,” he said, which is why he’s looking to build trust between law enforcement and communities so people feel comfortable coming forward.
He said the best way to fix this is through collaboration with people who know what’s happening and are dedicated to their neighborhoods.
“Listening to their description of the community’s needs and priorities and then trying to effectively communicate how we in government can help address those issues and help increase public safety,” he added.
The District of New Jersey is one of three out of 94 U.S. attorney offices in the country selected to advance the United Against Hate outreach initiative. It aims to bring together local, state and federal law enforcement to make new, lasting connections.
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“This effort is designed to give people comfort that the purpose of hate crime reporting is to help law enforcement prevent hate crimes and hate incidents, and there will not be repercussions on people who do report,” he continued.
Sellinger recently created a civil rights division within his office, which will lead the discussions with people on how to identify and report hate crimes.