Hate Crimes: State Statutes and Contacts: Missouri - New Hampshire

This guide is meant to summarize state statutes relating to hate crimes.  In addition to the state statutes listed, there are relevant federal statutes:

•  Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994, H.R. 3355, Pub.L. 103–322, Sec. 280003 108 Stat. 1796, 2096 provides for enhanced sentencing for hate crimes, defined as "a crime in which the defendant intentionally selects a victim, or in the case of a property crime, the property that is the object of the crime, because of the actual or perceived race, color, religion, national origin, ethnicity, gender, disability, or sexual orientation of any person." 
•  Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act (HCPA), 18 USC § 249
• For more on federal statutes, see Congressional Research Service Report R47060, Overview of Federal Hate Crime Laws    

The Southern Poverty Law Center has a reporting form for hate incidents.

The National Asian Pacific American Bar Association has resources including a reporting form for hate incidents and hate crimes toolkits in 25 languages.

Alison M. Smith and Cassandra L. Foley, State Statutes Governing Hate Crimes, Congressional Research Service Report RL33099 (Sept. 28, 2010) served as an invaluable resource for this guide.  

For UCLA Law users, Westlaw has a treatise on Hate Crimes Law by Zachary J. Wolfe  (login and password required).

State specific information from the federal Department of Justice (hate crimes home page).

The Movement Advancement Project maintains a list of which state hate crimes statutes include sexual orientation and gender identity.

Hate crimes laws:

• Mo. Rev. Stat. § 557.035: enhanced penalties for certain crimes "which the state believes to be knowingly motivated because of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation or disability of the victim or victims"
• Mo. Rev. Stat. § 574.085: instiutional vandalism, including against a place of worship

Where to report hate crimes, in addition to local police:
FBI Field Offices
FBI Kansas City
1300 Summit Street
Kansas City, MO 64105
Phone: (816) 512-8200

FBI St. Louis
2222 Market Street
St. Louis, MO 63103
Phone: (314) 589-2500

State Attorney General’s Office
Office of the Attorney General
Supreme Court Building
207 W. High St.
P.O. Box 899
Jefferson City, MO 65102
Phone: 573-751-3321

Hate crimes laws:

• Mont. Code Ann. § 45-5-221: crime to intimidate or harass based on "ecause of another person's race, creed, religion, color, national origin, or involvement in civil rights or human rights activities", including causing physical or property damage or credibly threatening to do the same; defacing "includes but is not limited to cross burning or the placing of any word or symbol commonly associated with racial, religious, or ethnic identity or activities on the property of another person without the other person's permission"
• Mont. Code Ann. § 45-5-222: enhanced penalties for crimes "committed because of the victim's race, creed, religion, color, national origin, or involvement in civil rights or human rights activities or that involved damage, destruction, or attempted destruction of a building regularly used for religious worship"

Where to report hate crimes, in addition to local police:
FBI Field Office
FBI Salt Lake City (Serves Montana)
5425 West Amelia Earhart Drive
Salt Lake City, UT 84116
Phone: (801) 579-1400

State Attorney General’s Office
Office of the Attorney General
Justice Building, Third Floor
215 North Sanders
P.O. Box 201401
Helena, MT 59620-1401
Phone: (406) 444-2026

Hate crimes laws:

• Neb. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 28-110: "A person in the State of Nebraska has the right to live free from violence, or intimidation by threat of violence, committed against his or her person or the destruction or vandalism of, or intimidation by threat of destruction or vandalism of, his or her property regardless of his or her race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, or disability."
• Neb. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 28-111: enhanced penalties for certain crimes committed "against a person or a person's property because of the person's race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, or disability or because of the person's association with a person of a certain race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, or disability"
• Neb. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 28-114: Requires collection of data on hate crimes

Where to report hate crimes, in addition to local police:
FBI Field Office
FBI Omaha
4411 South 121st Court
Omaha, NE 68137-2112
Phone: (402) 493-8688

State Attorney General’s Office
Office of the Attorney General
2115 State Capitol
Lincoln, NE 68509
Phone: (402) 471-2683

Hate crimes laws:

• Nev. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 193.1675: enhanced penalties for certain crimes committed "because the actual or perceived race, color, religion, national origin, physical or mental disability, sexual orientation or gender identity or expression of the victim"
• Nev. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 206.125: crime of vandalizing, including places of worship
• Nev. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 207.185: enhanced penalties for certain misdemeanors committed " by reason of the actual or perceived race, color, religion, national origin, physical or mental disability, sexual orientation or gender identity or expression of another person or group of persons"

Where to report hate crimes, in addition to local police:
FBI Field Office
FBI Las Vegas
John Lawrence Bailey Building
1787 West Lake Mead Boulevard
Las Vegas, NV 89106-2135
Phone: (702) 385-1281

State Attorney General’s Offices
Office of the Attorney General

Carson City Office
Office of the Attorney General
100 North Carson Street
Carson City, NV 89701
Phone: 775-684-1100

Reno Office
Office of the Attorney General
5420 Kietzke Lane, Suite 202
Reno, NV 89511
Phone: 775-688-1818

Las Vegas Office
Office of the Attorney General
Grant Sawyer Building
555 E. Washington Avenue, Suite 3900
Las Vegas, NV 89101
Phone: 702-486-3420

Hate crimes laws:

• N.H. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 651:6(f): enhanced penalties if the defendant "Was substantially motivated to commit the crime because of hostility towards the victim's religion, race, creed, sexual orientation..., national origin or sex"

Where to report hate crimes, in addition to local police:
FBI Field Office
FBI Boston (Serves New Hampshire)
One Center Plaza, Suite 600
Boston, MA 02108
Phone: (617) 742-5533

State Attorney General’s Office
NH Department of Justice
33 Capitol Street
Concord, NH 03301
Main Office Information:
Phone: (603) 271-3658
Phone (TDD): 1-800-735-2964