NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation says statistics show hate crimes last year in the state declined from 2013, but more incidents of religious bias were reported.
The TBI released its annual statistical study on hate crimes Monday. The report is based on data submitted by Tennessee law enforcement agencies to TBI through the Tennessee Incident Based Reporting System.
The report said law enforcement departments reported 340 victims of 295 bias-motivated incidents in Tennessee last year, down 2.6 percent from 2013. Meanwhile, offenses involving religious bias increased from eight victims in 2013 to 21 in 2014.
The most often documented bias was anti-not Hispanic or Latino, accounting for more than 24 percent of all bias-motivated crimes in 2014, nearly the same as 2013.
The full report is available online at http://www.tbi.tn.gov/tn_crime_stats/publications/2014%20Hate%20Crime.pdf .