Reports of hate crime climbing

[flashl]

Reports of crimes aimed at minorities, religious groups and those with a different sexual orientation climbed close to an all-time high in 2006, the most recent year that hate-crime statistics were published by the Colorado Bureau of Investigation.

There were 136 incidents of hate crime reported in the state in 2006, compared with 122 in 2005. The record high is 146 incidents in 1999. The agency began compiling hate-crime statistics in 1998.

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Law enforcement agencies report local hate crimes on a voluntary basis, so some crimes may still be going unreported — meaning the figures may underestimate the numbers of them.

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Nationally, FBI statistics suggest that there was a 35 percent rise in hate crimes aimed at Latinos between 2003 and 2006, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center.

Denver Post