http://www.advocate.com/news_detail_ektid23877.aspThe number of reported hate crimes in Florida jumped by 21.5% between 2003 and 2004, the Miami Herald reported Thursday. Race was the number 1 motivation for attacks, accounting for 60% of reports. Sexual orientation came in second, accounting for 16% of reports.
Why did the number of reported incidents rise to 334 from 274 when they had been decreasing during the past two years? The new data doesn't suggest a trend, but it could be due to "improvements in training that resulted in better investigative reporting by law enforcement," John Peck, spokesman for Florida attorney general Charlie Crist, told the Herald.
Art Teitelbaum, Southern area director for the Anti-Defamation League, called the new numbers very disturbing. "Whenever there is a nearly 22% increase in a category of crime, that is something to pay attention to," he said.