Santa Cruz PD: Four hate crimes reported this year, one forwarded to FBI

SANTA CRUZ, Calif. (KION) Santa Cruz police said there have been four hate crimes reported so far this year in the city, and two happened within a week of each other.

The two cases happened on June 28 and July 5, and police say they both meet the legal standard to be considered a hate crime. Police said they are working to pursue charges, and one has been forwarded to the FBI for review.

Two of the cases are still under investigation, according to police. They involve name-calling and insults, but the people involved did not want to press charges.

In the past three years, Santa Cruz police received 10 reports of hate crimes in 2018, two in 2019 and four in 2020.

Police said hate crimes are often under-reported, so the department accepts and reviews all bias-related reported crimes.