Bias Incidents Spiked In Mercer County In 2020: Report

PRINCETON, NJ — Mercer County reported 140 bias incidents in 2020, according to a new report released by the Attorney General's Office and the New Jersey State Police.

According to data, the number of reported incidents spiked from 42 in 2019, to 140 in 2020.

The county was behind Monmouth and Middlesex Counties in the number of bias incidents reported in 2020. (Click here to view the county-by-county breakdown).

While releasing the top line data last week, Attorney General Grewal also announced that the Attorney General’s Office and the State Police will soon begin making bias incident data available to the public on a monthly basis, beginning in April.

These monthly bias incident reports will show breakdowns by bias type and county.

Because the data only captures reported bias incidents, it is under-inclusive, which means it does not capture incidents that were never reported to law enforcement.

According to a report from the U.S. Department of Justice, over half of the victims of hate crimes in the U.S. from 2011 to 2015 did not report them.

Following the release of the report, Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig and FBI Newark Field Division Special Agent in Charge George M. Crouch Jr. reiterated law enforcement's commitment to investigating and prosecuting all acts of bias-motivated violence and other deprivations of individuals' civil rights, including crimes committed on the basis of race, ethnicity, religion, sex, national origin, disability, sexual orientation, or gender identity.

“Some of the darkest hours that we have lived through recently as New Jersey residents have involved the horror of violence based on hate,” Acting U.S. Attorney Honig said in a statement.

“We have seen anti-Semitic violence in Jersey City and a gender- and race-based attack at the home of a federal judge. Now, we face a rising tide of hatred directed at Asian-Americans. New Jersey is one of the most diverse states in the country, and this kind of hate should find no home here.”

Honig urged New Jersey residents to report hate-based crimes to the FBI and to contact her office’s civil rights hotline with information about discrimination in housing, employment, education, or public accommodations.

“Hate crimes are not only an attack on an individual, but an entire community,” FBI Special Agent in Charge Crouch said.

“Investigating these crimes is one of the FBI’s highest priorities. We will work diligently with our law enforcement partners to protect the rights of all Americans.”

New Jersey residents can report bias incidents to their local police departments, or via the NJBIAS online portal at https://bias.njcivilrights.gov, or by calling 800-277-BIAS. Bias crimes can also be reported by visiting https://nj.gov/oag/bias/.