Report a Hate Crime or Bias Incident

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It is up to all Washingtonians to make sure that everyone is safe in their community. If you are reporting an active emergency or crime in progress, please dial 911 immediately.

Under Washington law, a hate crime is the malicious and intentional, actual, or threatened assault of a person or physical damaging of their property because of the person’s perceived race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender expression or identity, or mental, physical, or sensory disability.

A bias incident under Washington law is an expression of hostility or hatred towards another person based on their actual or perceived race, color, religion, creed, ancestry, national origin, citizenship or immigration status, gender, sex, sexual orientation, gender expression or identity, mental, physical, or sensory disability, use of a trained dog guide or service animal, or honorably discharged veteran or military status that does not rise to the level of a hate crime.

Hate crimes and bias incidents can both be physical, verbal, or visual, and can be a singular incident or recurring.

Bias incidents can include the following, when done as hostile expressions of animus:

Using a racial, ethnic, or immigration-related slur or similar degrading language to identify someone.
Creating racist or derogatory graffiti or images/drawings.
Imitating someone with a disability or imitating someone’s cultural norm or practice.

Hate crimes can include the following, when done maliciously and intentionally:

Assaulting, injuring, or even touching someone in an offensive manner because of their perceived protected class.
Threatening to physically harm a person, their family, or their property based on their perceived protected class.

You may report a hate crime or bias incident to the Hotline by filling out the form below or calling us at 1-855-225-1010. Reports can be made anonymously. We accept all Relay Calls and have access to interpreters in 240+ languages. If you are reporting an active emergency or crime in progress, please dial 911 immediately.

For more information about reporting and what happens to the information you share with us, please visit our website at What Happens on the Hotline?.

* Starred fields are mandatory in order to process your submission.

*Do you currently feel safe enough to continue submitting this report now?

Information about the victim/targeted person

*Please describe the targeted person’s known or perceived protected class. Select as many classes you believe were targeted.
(Senate Bill 5427, codified under RCW 43.10.305, 9A.36.080, and 49.60.030, specifies Washington’s protected classes. Please use the field Additional Targeted Class(es) to write out your additional class(es) if not specified under the law.)

*Age of targeted person/victim:

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Information about the incident

Incident County (Please note, you can only select King, Clark, or Spokane counties at this time):

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*Incident City (Please note, you can only select cities in King, Clark, or Spokane counties at this time):

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*Did this incident occur on a Tribal Reservation?

How was the incident of hate/bias expressed? Please select as many as possible

*Please briefly describe the incident (500 character maximum):
Remember, this information could be disclosed in Public Records Request, though personal identifying information will be withheld from public disclosure. How to Request a Public Record

*Incident Date (an estimate is fine)

Open the calendar popup.

Is the incident reoccurring?

*Was the offender known to the targeted person/victim?

What is/was the targeted person/victim’s relationship to the offender (classmate, stranger, etc.)?

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*Incident Setting. If the incident is reoccurring, please select where it has occurred the most frequently:

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*Have you reported this to law enforcement?

Was a weapon involved in the incident?

Contact and Referral information

*Do you want us to follow-up with you?
If you select yes, some contact information will be required. Please remember that under Washington law, any personal identifying information is not subject to public disclosure and will remain confidential. What is personal identifying information?

*Do you want a referral to law enforcement?

Reporter's Information

*As the reporter, what is your relationship to the incident?

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Disclaimer and Agreement to Submit Report

There are a few things that we need from you so that we can help you. Please reach each of these statements and check the "I Agree" box at the bottom if you agree. We can’t help you if you do not agree with all of these statements.

By submitting this form to Hate Crimes and Bias Incidents Hotline at the Washington State Attorney General's Office, I understand that my report and any response to it from the Attorney General's Office might be subject to public disclosure under the Public Records Act.

I understand that under Washington law, personal identifying information collected by this hotline is not subject to public disclosure pursuant to the Public Records Act and remains confidential. Under Washington law, personal identifying information includes name, prior legal name, alias, mother's maiden name, date or place of birth, residence, mailing address, telephone number, email address, social security number, driver's license number, bank account number, or other similar information (RCW 43.10.305(5)(g)).