Prosecutor's Office Launches Hate Crime Hotline

The Marion County Prosecutor’s Office has a new non-emergency hotline for citizens to report hate crimes.

Prosecutor Ryan Mears announced the hotline Monday, and encouraged anyone who has witnessed or experienced a crime motivated by bias to call.

“We want to send a clear message that hate has no place in Indianapolis and Marion County. For those who have experienced a bias-motivated incident, we stand with you,” Mears said in a news release. “We believe our office can reduce the barriers of reporting and improve law enforcement’s response and support for victims of these crimes.”

If an individual is convicted of a hate crime in Indiana, they can receive a longer sentence.

The hotline is monitored by a social worker and a victim advocate. Once the incident is called in, the victim can choose to file a formal report or be referred to community services.
Interpreters are available in multiple languages, including Spanish.

The hotline can be reached at (317) 327-5314. If the incident is an emergency, citizens should call 911.

Contact WFYI criminal justice reporter Katrina Pross at kpross@wfyi.org. Follow on Twitter: @katrina_pross.

Pross is a Corps Member of Report for America, an initiative of The GroundTruth Project.