Report: California hate crimes jumped in 2017, though rare
California Capitol building in Sacramento. (FILE)
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) -- California's attorney general says reported hate crimes jumped more than 17 percent in the state last year, though they remain relatively rare.
The Department of Justice released its annual hate crimes report Monday, the first since President Donald Trump took office in January 2017.
The DOJ defined hate crimes as those targeting victims because of their race or ethnicity, nationality, religion, sexual orientation, gender, or a disability. Nearly 1,100 were reported in 2017 compared to 900 in 2016.
The report was one of five crime reports the DOJ released Monday. A complete copy of the reports can be found here.
The DOJ also reported that police killed 172 civilians last year compared to 157 in 2016. Another report showed California's violent crime rate increased 1.5 percent last year compared to 2016 while property crime dropped 2 percent.