Hotline established to report hate crimes in Northern Colorado counties

Two counties in Northern Colorado have established a new hotline to report bias-motivated crimes, also known as hate crimes. The hotline is active and has already begun receiving tips from the community. 

"We've done a lot of work in the community to build trust with groups and organizations that represent vulnerable communities," said Gordon McLaughlin, district attorney for Larimer and Jackson counties. 

McLaughlin said the hotline was needed to help vulnerable communities feel more at ease when reporting crimes they've experienced. 

"We know hate crimes are an under-reported crime. There are a lot of obstacles, barriers and fear associated with reporting those crimes," McLaughlin explained. 

McLaughlin said the line helps facilitate further trust between these communities and law enforcement and prosecutorial professions. 

He said some vulnerable communities that might be inclined to report bias-motivated crimes include the Jewish, LGBTQ, African American, and other diverse communities. 

"We have heard from multiple communities that there are growing fears," McLaughlin said. 

"Traditionally [the LGBTQ] community does not feel they can easily go to law enforcement," said Natalie Patterson, spokesperson for PFLAG in Fort Collins. 

PFLAG is a Fort Collins based organization that serves the LGBTQ community in Northern Colorado. 

"We should all feel safe in our communities and able to talk to law enforcement," Patterson said. 

Patterson said she supports the creation of the new hotline. 

"There is a lot of fear out there. I think this is a really good step toward being able to report those crimes and have them looked into," Patterson said.

McLaughlin said his office has seen an uptick in bias-motivated crimes being brought to his office for prosecution in recent years. However, that is due in part to Colorado changing its law to lower the threshold for prosecuting someone for a crime involving biased motivation. 

Originally, the law said the crime would have to be entirely motivated by bias or hate in order to qualify as a hate crime. The law was changed to say it could still be a hate or bias-motivated crime even if only a portion of the motivation was the result of such hate. 

"We think now is the right moment to provide this additional opportunity, to make sure that even when it is not prevalent, when it does occur, that is incredibly serious, and we want to be the resource to help the victims through that and make sure those perpetrating the crimes are dealt with," McLaughlin said.

McLaughlin added that every victim of a crime, especially bias-motivated crimes, should feel comfortable seeking help from prosecutors and law enforcement. He said his office will not question someone's legal status in the United States when fielding reports of bias-motivated crimes. They see a victim only as a victim, not as less than simply because of their legal status, he shared. 

"We know there are things going on in the community that are never reported to law enforcement," McLaughlin said. "The more reports we get, the more victims we can serve and the safer community we can create."

If you've experienced a bias or hate-motivated crime in Larimer or Jackson counties, call 970-498-7150. The hotline is not intended to be an emergency service. Emergencies should still be reported to 911.