LANSING, Mich. — Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel has launched a new statewide Hate Crimes Unit within her office's Criminal Division.
The unit will be responsible for investigating and prosecuting hate crimes. It will be led by Assistant Attorney General Sunita Doddamani who will be the lead prosecutor in the unit and Special Agent David Dwyre who has been named lead investigator.
“Hate itself is not a crime and our civil liberties protect the right to speak about even the most terrible of things,” said Nessel. "But when a criminal offense is committed against a person or property and it is motivated by an offender’s bias against a particular group, then my Office will act."
Nessel is encouraging the public and members of law enforcement to contact the Hate Crimes Unit if they know of a hate crime or are the victims of bias-motivated crimes.
A press release said that the Department of the Attorney General will follow up on every credible tip and will launch investigations when sufficient cause exists.
In Michigan, there were 427 hate crimes reported in 2017 according to FBI crime statistics. This makes Michigan the fifth-highest state for reported hate crimes in the country.
However, law enforcement agencies are not required to report hate crime statistics to the FBI, and many U.S. agencies don't submit their data. Additionally, hate crimes can be difficult to prosecute.
A hate crime is defined the state of Michigan as "A person is guilty of ethnic intimidation if that person maliciously, and with specific intent to intimidate or harass another person because of that person's race, color, religion, gender, or national origin."
If you are a victim of a hate crime or have credible information about a hate crime, please contact the Department of Attorney General at 313-456-0180.
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