FBI Charlotte Encourages North Carolinians to Report Federal Hate Crimes
The Charlotte Division of the FBI is launching an advertising campaign across North Carolina to raise awareness about federal hate crimes and to encourage the public to report them to the FBI. The campaign, which began on October 2, includes social media ads and billboards in Charlotte, Raleigh, Lexington, and Laurinburg.
A hate crime is a traditional offense like murder, arson, or vandalism with an added element of bias. The FBI defines a hate crime as a “criminal offense against a person or property motivated in whole or in part by an offender’s bias against a race, religion, disability, sexual orientation, ethnicity, gender, or gender identity.”
FBI Charlotte hate crime billboard graphic
Hate crimes are the highest priority of the FBI’s civil rights program because of the devastating impact they have on families and communities. Hate crimes are not only an attack on the victim—they are meant to threaten and intimidate an entire community.
“No one should be targeted because of how they look, where they’re from, or any part of their identity. Hate crimes have no place in our country, our state, or our communities. We encourage victims to report hate crimes to the FBI, we are here to listen and to help," said Robert M. DeWitt, special agent in charge of the FBI in North Carolina.
The FBI works closely with its local, state, tribal, and federal law enforcement partners in many hate crime investigations. To learn more about federal hate crime statues and state hate crime laws, visit the United States Department of Justice website at justice.gov/hatecrimes/laws-and-policies.
If you believe you are victim or a witness of a hate crime, we encourage you to report it to the FBI by calling 1-800-CALL-FBI or submitting a tip at tips.fbi.gov.
