The reported total of hate crimes in the United States dropped sharply last year after increasing in 2001 after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, the FBI says. The 7,462 incidents was down almost 25 percent from the 9,730 reported in 2001 and were under the 8,063 recorded in 2000.
There were 155 hate crime incidents listed as anti-Islamic in 2002, down from the 481 reported in 2001, the Associated Press reports.
The hate crime data are compiled from reports from more than 12,000 state and local law enforcement agencies.
The FBI also reported that 56 law enforcement officers were killed as the result of crimes in 2002, 14 fewer than in 2001. The 2001 total did not include deaths in the Sept. 11 attacks.
Link: http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2003-11-12-hate_x.htm