Hate Crimes in Idaho are Increasing

Idaho continually tops lists of "Best Places To Live." So why are hate crime increasing in the Gem State?

The Idaho State Police Bureau of Criminal Identification released a report this month that states hate crimes in Idaho increased 27% from 2015 to 2016. There were a total of 28 hate crimes reported in the state of Idaho - with three hate crimes reported in the Treasure Valley for the year.

Per Idaho code, a "hate crime" is a crime meant to intimidate or harass another person because of race, color, religion, ancestry or national origin.

Half of all victims were females, with half of the victims experiencing destruction of property followed by intimidation. The most targeted groups? African American females reported 25% of all hate crimes, with 18% targeting the LGBT community.

The most frequent location in Idaho for hate crimes was up in Coeur d'Alene, with 21% of all hate crimes taking place in the month of June.

Also on the rise? Drug and narcotic violations saw a 15% increase from 2015 to 2016.

Good news? No officers were killed in the line of duty in 2016. However, our officers in blue also saw an increase in assault - which went up 3% year-over-year.

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