Preventing and Responding to Hate Crimes
Adopted at the 93rd Annual Meeting in 2025
WHEREAS, Mayors have long recognized that hate crimes are not only attacks on individuals but target entire communities and threaten the democratic values and ideals of our nation; and
WHEREAS, for more than 30 years, the U.S. Conference of Mayors has been a leading voice supporting programs and initiatives to address hate violence in our nation, including vigorous promotion of inclusive and comprehensive law enforcement hate crime data collection and training initiatives; and
WHEREAS, the FBI documented the highest number of hate crimes ever reported in 2023, with record numbers of crimes directed against Hispanics, Jews, Arabs, gays and lesbians, and trans people; and crimes against Black people were most numerous-as they have been every year since the FBI began collecting this data in 1991; and
WHEREAS, because reporting is voluntary, thousands of law enforcement agencies across the country-including dozens of agencies serving populations over 100,000 persons-did not collect or report accurate hate crime data in 2023; and
WHEREAS, complete and accurate hate crime data collection and response strengthen trust between law enforcement and the communities they serve and significantly enhance the prevention, reporting, investigation, and successful prosecution of hate crimes; and
WHEREAS, the accuracy of hate crime data and the ability of police officers to respond to hate crime complaints depends in large part on their being trained to identify, report, and respond appropriately to such incidents; and
WHEREAS, for more than 60 years, the United States Department of Justice's Community Relations Service (CRS), known as "America's Peacemaker," has used its expertise in promoting dialogue, mediation, and conciliation to help Mayors and their communities successfully address conflict based on actual or perceived race, color, national origin, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, or disability; and
WHEREAS, digital and media literacy initiatives and teaching accurate history can lead to a better understanding and appreciation for our nation's diversity and are part of the long-term solution to racism, prejudice, discrimination, and all forms of bigotry in our society,
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that The United States Conference of Mayors calls upon Mayors to exercise leadership in actively opposing, in word and deed, expressions of racism, anti-religion bigotry, homophobia, and other forms of hate and discrimination, whenever they occur, as antithetical to essential American values; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Conference of Mayors condemns bias-motivated crimes, underlines the importances of coordinated federal, state, and local actions to address the increase in hate crimes, and calls on mayors and other government leaders to make every possible effort to foster an atmosphere in their cities which prevents hate crimes from occurring in the first place and to condemn and enforce the laws vigorously against these criminal acts when they do occur; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Conference of Mayors praises the United States Department of Justice, specifically the Federal Bureau of Investigation, for its essential Hate Crime Statistics Act annual reports and calls on it to continue to comprehensively collect and report hate crimes data on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, and disability in a vigorous manner; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Conference of Mayors urges the Federal Bureau of Investigation to continue and expand its training programs for local police officers on identifying, reporting and responding to the full range of hate crimes and urges that training regarding hate crimes be integrated into all on-going law enforcement training efforts; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Conference of Mayors urges local police departments to participate fully in the hate crime statistics collection process; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Conference of Mayors praises the necessary and urgent work of the Department of Justice's Office of Justice Programs and Community Relations Services and urges the Administration and Congress to support and fund their essential work strengthening communities and building local resilience against hate and extremism; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Conference of Mayors urges cities to work with civil society to engage with technology and social media companies to implement policies and practices that counter the spread of hate and violent extremist ideology online, while respecting universal human rights, including the freedom of speech and expression.