Mission Statement
The University of California Irvine Police Department is dedicated
in eradicating hate and promoting diversity to achieve tolerance among
all community members.
It is the policy of the University Police Department, Irvine to
maximize efforts, ensuring all residents of the University community
enjoy the right to live free of crime motivated by a victim's race,
ethnicity, gender, national origin, religion, disability, or sexual
orientation.
We believe the unique nature of hate crimes require special attention
from our agency. Hate crimes are given priority status.
Members of UCPD receive training in their identification and
investigation. We take every possible action to identify and arrest the
perpetrators and bring them to justice, as well as respond in a
sensitive manner to the violence experienced by the victims, their
families and community.
The UC Irvine Police Department works in partnership with campus
organizations to refer victims to appropriate resources for assistance
to reduce fear and tension which frequently occur as a result of hate
crimes.
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Objectives
- Develop a partnership between law enforcement agencies
and community groups to effect successful prosecution
of hate crime perpetrators.
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- Promote mutual trust and respect among the community and
law enforcement agencies working to eradicate hate.
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- Identify and track emerging patterns in bias motivated crimes.
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- Provide a comprehensive and uniform documentation of hate
crimes and hate related activity.
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- Educate the community on the consequences of hate.
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- Create support networks to aid and assist survivors of
hate crimes.
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What is a Hate Crime?
A hate crime is a criminal offense commmitted against persons, property
or society that is motivated, in whole or in part, by an offender's bias
against an individual's or a group's perceived race, religion, ethnic/national
origin, gender, age, disability or sexual orientation. Legal definitions
of hate crimes vary. Check your state statutes for the definition of hate
crime in your jurisdiction.
Hate incidents are those actions by an individual or group that, while
motivated by bias, do not rise to the level of a criminal offense. Hate
Crimes consist of:
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- Verbal Intimidation or Threats
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- Hate Mail (including email)
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- Physical assault and threats
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What is a Hate Incident
Not all expressions of hate or group bias rise to the level of hate
crime as defined in standard federal statues. Derogatory works or
epithets directed against a member of a previously defined group
because they are a member of such group, if not accompanied by a
threat of harm with the ability to carry it out, are considered
protected speech and not a hate crime. They do, however, constitute
a hate-related incident.
Note - Tracking and analyzing hate incidents provides the needed
information for the community to identify potential threats and
assess the level of tension on their community. Report incidents to
the Police or a campus official.
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Community Trauma
Hate crimes victimize the entire community and may involve:
- victimization projected to all community members
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- possibility of reactive crimes or copycat incidents
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- sense of group vulnerability
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- redirection of law enforcement resources
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- loss of trust in criminal justice institutions
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- public damage, i.e., buildings such as churches
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Victim Trauma
- increased vulnerablility to repeat attack
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- extreme fear of certain groups
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- acute shock and disbelief
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- sense of community/system betrayal
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What you can do about Hate Crimes?
Should you believe that you are a victim of a "Hate Crime" OR you
have witnessed a "Hate Crime", you are strongly encouraged to contact
your Police or Sheriff's Department. Be sure to provide specific
details that would qualify the event as a "Hate Crime"; (I.e., the
use of racial or ethnic slurs by the perpetrator during the event.)
Provide as much detail as possible about the persons involved in the
event and a description of a vehicle, if there was one observed. All
of this information will greatly assist in the investigation, and the
possible prosecution, of the perpetrators.
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Laws Regarding Hate Crimes
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Penal Code section 422.6 (a):
Provides it is a misdemeanor to interfere by force or threat of
force with a person’s state or federal statutory or constitutional
rights because of his or her race, color, religion, ancestry,
national origin, disability, gender or sexual orientation or
because the victim is perceived to have one or more of these characteristics.
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Penal Code section 422.6 (b):
Provides it is a misdemeanor to damage a person's property because
of his or her race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin,
disability, gender, or sexual orientation or because it is perceived
that he or she has one or more of the above characteristics.
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Penal Code section 422.7:
Provides that actions which are normally misdemeanors can become
felonies if committed because of bigotry based on race color, religion,
ancestry, national origin, disability, gender, or sexual orientation
or because the victim is perceived to have one or more of the above
characteristics.
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Penal Code section 11411:
Provides that it is a misdemeanor to cause a person to fear for his or her
safety by displaying racist signs on the private property of another, without
authorization, for the purpose of terrorizing the owner or occupant of that
private property or in reckless disregard of the risk of terrorizing them;
provides that it is a misdemeanor or a felony to engage in a pattern of
conduct for the purpose of terrorizing the owner or occupant of that private
property by placing a racist symbol on that property on two or more occasions;
and provides that any person who burns or desecrates a cross or other religious
symbol, knowing it to be a religious symbol, on the private property of another
without authorization for the purpose of terrorizing the owner or occupant or
in reckless disregard of terrorizing them, or who burns, desecrates or destroys
a cross or other religious symbol, knowing it to be a religious symbol, on the
property of a primary school, junior high school or high school, for the purpose
of terrorizing any person who attends, works at or is otherwise associated with
the school shall be guilty of a felony or misdemeanor.
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How to Report a Hate Crime
- Reporting Hate Crimes and incidents, even those that you might
not consider "serious" is important to monitoring and stopping future
incidents. By keeping detailed
information on incidents, you can strengthen the case of official
action.
- Write down exactly what happened. Try to include as much
specific detail as possible in your account.
- Record precisely where and when the incident occurred.
- If anyone was with you or saw what happened, record their names
and phone numbers as well. Ask them to write an account of what
they witnessed and sign and date this document.
- Record names or detailed descriptions of the perpetrators.
- Make photocopies of hate mail or other documentation. Keep
the originals.
- Keep a careful log of hate calls and make a tape of hate
calls on your answering machine.
- Photograph physical injuries, offensive graffiti and evidence
of vandalism.
- Give the responding officer or official complete information
to ensure the incident is documented as bias-related.
- Record the officer's name and badge number.
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Compensation
If an identified suspect is convicted, you may be eligible for
compensation for the cost of damage to your property or for
injuries you suffer.
You may also bring a civil action and recover legal fees and
compensation for up to three times the actual damages plus a
civil penalty of up to $10,000.
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