ADC Welcomes Updated FBI Hate Crime Data Collection Guidlines and Training Manual
Washington, DC |www.adc.org | March 26, 2015 - The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) welcomes the updated FBI Hate Crime Data
Collection Guidelines And Training Manual. The newFBI Hate Crime Date Collection Guidelines And Training Manual modifies the Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program's Hate Crime data collection procedures to include collection and
tracking of hate crimes committed against Arab Americans, Hindu Americans, and Sihk Americans. This update is much
anticipated, as ADC has beencalling for tracking of anti-Arab hate crimes for years.
Two years ago, theFBI advisory board voted to approve a motion to expand hate crime incident tracking reports to include crimes motivate by bias against Sikhs,
Hindus, and Arabs. This expansion came about in part by ADC’s continuing advocacy efforts and grassroots advocacy
campaigns to promote tracking of hate crimes against minority groups, including Arab-Americans.
In 2013, ADC urged Attorney General Eric Holder and FBI Director to allow for the collection and tracking of hate crimes
committed against Arab-Americans, Sikh Americans, and Hindu Americans. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Diane Feinstein
(D-Ca) introduced letters calling for expansion of hate crimes tracking, and over a thousand ADC members participated in
multiple ADC action alerts urging their representatives to support the collection and tracking of hate crimes committed
against Arab Americans.
While ADC welcomes the FBI's collection and tracking of hate crimes against Arab-Americans, the FBI's policies and
procedures still have much room for improvement. As a member of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, ADC
and many civil rights organizations have expressedconcerns with the U.S. Department of Justice's Guidance for Federal Law Enforcement Agencies Regarding the Use of Race, Ethnicity, Gender, National Origin, Religion, Sexual Orientation, or Gender Identity. ADC is
particularly concerned that the DOJ's guidance allows the FBI to continue its extensive data-gathering and “mapping” of
racial, ethnic, and religious communities.
ADC encourages the FBI other federal agencies to continue to improve their policies and guidelines to eliminate
profiling based on race, religion, and national origin.
ENDS