Here in Tennessee, there was an increase in the number of hate crimes committed and a decrease in the number of law enforcement officers killed or assaulted last year.  

Bias motivated offenses were up nearly 51% to 261 offenses reported in 2011 compared with 173 in 2010. Prior to 2011, a three year analysis of hate bias offenses showed a decline every year between 2008 and 2010. There were 1,810 LEOKA incidents reported in 2011 compared with 1,854 in 2010, a 2.4% decrease. 

Hate Crimes in 2011

• Reported victim to offender relationships revealed that approximately 58% of hate crime victims knew their offenders.
• About one in every three reported hate crimes were racially motivated at 36.5%.
• In 2011, males were victimized 5.5 times more often than females and intimidation was the most often reported crime against persons with 60 offenses.

Law Enforcement Officers Killed or Assaulted in 2011

• Of the 245 Tennessee agencies who reported LEOKA incidents for 2011, three reported officers who were feloniously killed in the line of duty. The Chattanooga Police Department, Dickson County Sheriff’s Office and Memphis Police Department all lost an officer in 2011.
• A total of 1,637 LEOKA incidents were cleared resulting in a 90% clearance rate and 88% of those incidents were cleared by arrest.
• The most frequently reported weapon type used was personal weapons (hand, fists, feet) at 63%.
• Firearms were reported more than 10% of the time which is a 0.7% increase from 2010.