WILTON MANORS, Fla. – The Broward County State Attorney’s Office has created a new tool to help combat hate crimes in Broward County.
Community activists, law makers and prosecutors discussed the rising problem of hate and the creation of Broward County’s new Hate Crimes Unit in Wilton Manors on Wednesday.
The discussion was led by South Florida Congresswoman Shelia Cherfilus-McCormick inside the Pride Center. The person in charge of running the new unit, Assistant State Attorney Darryl Torres, was also in attendance.
He said one of the biggest problems he want to address first, are the many hate crimes that go underreported. The unit aims to change that by having a dialogue directly with members of the affected communities.
“I want to know what is happening. What is happening in your communities. And through that dialogue, law enforcement will also be participating. What can law enforcement do to be doing better,” said Torres.
Despite more than 8,000 hate crimes reported nationwide back in 2020, Torres says only 15 of those were reported here in Broward County.
According to a release, the task force was funded in part by a $300,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Justice.
The initiative has created a new Hate Crimes Hotline and webpage as well as a tracking system to report incidents in Broward County communities.
To learn more or report a potential hate crime click on this link or call the Hate Crimes Hotline at 954-831-8059.