U.S. Attorney Steven Weinhoeft and a member of the FBI in Springfield are urging members of the public to report all incidents where a federal hate crime may have occurred.
The call for assistance comes as the Department of Justice is conducting a 30-day “expedited review” to determine how best to use all the tools at the agency’s disposal to combat hate crimes.
Weinhoeft says there has been a recent uptick in crimes against Asian Americans and those of Pacific Island descent since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Quite frankly we haven’t seen reporting of that to law enforcement as much yet. In the press release, the FBI special agent in charge and I decided it would be a good idea to try and reach out to the community and make sure we are soliciting their help and assistance in reporting these types of offenses because currently, I see a disconnect between a large number of reporting of these incidents and the number that actually comes into law enforcement,” said Weinhoeft.
A violent act motivated by bias towards a person’s actual or perceived race, color, religion, national origin, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, or disability can qualify as a federal hate crime.
Anyone with information about a possible federal hate crime is strongly encouraged to contact FBI-Springfield at 217-522-9675.
