AB 301

Bill Subjects

Abstract

Existing law defines a "hate crime" as a criminal act committed, in whole or in part, because of actual or perceived characteristics of the victim, including, among other things, race, religion, disability, and sexual orientation. Existing law requires the Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) to develop guidelines and a course of instruction and training for law enforcement officers addressing hate crimes. Existing law requires state law enforcement agencies to adopt a framework or other formal policy created by POST regarding hate crimes. Existing law also requires, subject to the availability of adequate funding, the Attorney General to direct local law enforcement agencies to report specified information relative to hate crimes to the Department of Justice. This bill would require the department to carry out various duties relating to documenting and responding to hate crimes, including conducting reviews of all law enforcement agencies every 3 years to evaluate the accuracy of hate crime data provided and agencies' hate crime policies, implementing a school-based program in conjunction with school districts and local law enforcement agencies aimed at educating students regarding how to report all suspected hate crimes to prevent future hate crimes, and submitting specified hate crime reports to the Federal Bureau of Investigation for inclusion in the national crime repository for crime data. The bill would also include a statement of legislative findings and declarations.