March 23, 2022

Broward State Attorney Harold F. Pryor has created a new unit to combat hate crimes, raise public awareness of this important issue, and help increase reporting of such crimes in our community.

To learn more or to report a potential hate crime, please visit https://browardsao.com/hate-crimes-unit/ or call our Hate Crimes Hotline at 954-831-8059. (In an emergency, call 911.)

The State Attorney’s Office was awarded a $300,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Justice to fund the Broward County Hate Crimes Awareness Initiative, a cooperative venture with local law enforcement, educational and community organizations.

“Hate crimes send a message to try to demean and intimidate the intended targets,” State Attorney Pryor said. “They have an impact that extends far beyond the victim. We urge everyone to work together to help increase awareness of hate crimes and encourage people to report these offenses.”

The initiative includes:

• Creating a Broward County Hate Crimes Task Force with law enforcement and community partners to increase public awareness of hate crimes and provide educational materials and public awareness campaigns to reach at-risk individuals and groups.
• Establishing a tracking system for reporting of incidents and potential hate crimes by victims and the community.
• Making it easier to report these incidents using the new Hate Crimes Hotline and webpage.
• Addressing underreporting of incidents.
• Promoting trust between the community, law enforcement, and the criminal justice system via education, training, and community outreach activities.

Assistant State Attorney Darryl Torres has been assigned to lead the new Hate Crimes Unit, coordinate with the task force and prosecute cases. A victim advocate will help guide and support victims. The task force will work to educate the community, conduct outreach activities, provide information on local resources, provide training for law enforcement and prosecutors, and work to create and enhance policies and procedures to address this issue.

The grant, awarded under the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Program, is funded over three years, ending in late 2024. The federal funding is supplemented with $105,612 from the State Attorney’s Office.

Broward County has the second largest population in Florida and is home to a diverse group of residents. More than 60 percent of residents are Black or Hispanic. The county is the eighth largest Jewish community in the U.S. More than 75,000 Muslims live in the county. And Broward is home to a large LGBTQ community.

Contact: Paula McMahon, spokeswoman for the Broward State Attorney’s Office
mediarelations@sao17.state.fl.us or 954-831-7910
https://browardsao.com