Feb. 1, 2023 – Westchester County District Attorney Miriam E. Rocah and Westchester County Executive George Latimer announced today that a law enforcement portal for the reporting of hate crimes and bias incidents in Westchester County is now live and operating.
Developed by the District Attorney’s Office, the County Executive’s Office, the Westchester County Department of Public Safety and the Westchester County Department of Information Technology over the last year, with support from law enforcement leaders like the Westchester County Police Chiefs Association, the online portal will allow for swifter, more comprehensive and proactive investigations and prosecutions of hate crimes and bias cases.
DA Rocah said: “Law enforcement cannot tackle hate, bias and extremism if we don’t know about it. Utilizing technology, we can now access data for hate crimes and bias incidents across Westchester, conveniently consolidated in one place. Not only can this assist in our prosecutions, it will enhance our collaboration with police."
County Executive Latimer said: “I commend our Department of Public Safety and our Department of Information Technology for working together with the DA’s Office to create a system for reporting that is accurate, effective and inclusive. Fighting hate cannot be done by one entity, it needs collaboration and I am confident that with the right people at the table this portal will be a powerful tool to stop hate from spreading in Westchester.”
Westchester County Public Safety Commissioner Terrance Raynor said: “This is an innovative and efficient online tool that allows law enforcement in Westchester County to study potential trends and crime patterns related to hate crimes and bias incidents, and will help law enforcement be proactive in addressing public safety matters.”
County IT’s Chief Information Officer Marguerite Beirne said: “This centralized database is a game changer in fighting hate crimes, and I am proud to have the County’s IT Department create this portal for this important use. I thank County Executive Latimer for recognizing how vital it was for the IT Department to work on this project.”
Westchester County Human Rights Commission Executive Director Tejash Sanchala said: “Westchester County continues to proactively fight back against hate and extremism in all its forms. Centralizing reports of hate crimes and bias incidents will enable us to track patterns and trends and focus our energies on areas of emerging need. The Human Rights Commission encourages reporting by anyone who has experiences or witnessed an incident of hate or bias.”
Westchester County Chiefs of Police Association President Robert Noble added: “The participation of law enforcement agencies can increase the likelihood that this portal will provide the maximum benefit for crime analysis, and even crime prevention, in Westchester County."
To date, nearly 80 percent of local and state law enforcement agencies with jurisdiction in Westchester County have registered for the portal:
1. Ardsley Police Department
2. Buchanan Village Police Department
3. New York City Department of Environmental Protection Police
4. Dobbs Ferry Police Department
5. Eastchester Police Department
6. Elmsford Village Police Department
7. Greenburgh Police Department
8. Harrison Police Department
9. Hastings-on-Hudson Police Department
10. Irvington Police Department
11. Larchmont Police Department
12. Lewisboro Police Department
13. Village of Mamaroneck Police Department
14. Mount Pleasant Police Department
15. Mount Vernon Police Department
16. Metropolitan Transportation Authority Police Department
17. New Castle Police Department
18. New Rochelle Police Department
19. Village of Ossining Police Department
20. Peekskill Police Department
21. Pelham Manor Police Department
22. Village of Pelham Police Department
23. Village of Pleasantville Police Department
24. City of Rye Police Department
25. Rye Brook Police Department
26. Scarsdale Police Department
27. Sleepy Hollow Police Department
28. Somers Police Department
29. New York State University Police – Purchase College
30. Tarrytown Police Department
31. Tuckahoe Police Department
32. Westchester County DA’s Office
33. Westchester County Department of Public Safety
34. White Plains Public Safety
35. Yonkers Police Department
36. Yorktown Police Department
The portal’s launch supports the robust efforts by DA Rocah to adequately address hate crimes in Westchester County. She installed a Senior ADA and hate crimes analyst as part of the DA’s Office Hate Crimes Unit, and implemented year-round legal trainings for law enforcement and “upstander” presentations in schools and the community with local government partners.
Agencies can contact the Westchester County Department of Public Safety to set up registration for the portal.
Anyone who may be a victim or witness to a hate crime or bias incident is encouraged to report it to their local police department. The public can also file a complaint or send in tips to the DA’s Office at (914)955-TIPS (8477); language assistance is available in Spanish, Mandarin, Korean, French and Haitian Creole.
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Anna Young, Public Information Officer
(914) 995-6551
ayoung@westchesterda.net
