(Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
BOSTON (WBZ-AM) -- Hate crime numbers have risen 17 percent across the country last year, according to FBI data released this week--including an increase of nearly 10 percent here in Massachusetts.
WBZ NewsRadio 1030's Ben Parker spoke to Robert Trestan, director of the Anti-Defamation League in Boston, about the disturbing numbers--and, in some cases, what's not actually being reported.
"The numbers are consistent with what people are experiencing in everyday life, and the real conclusion from this report is that thousands of people are experiencing hate and bias in their daily lives," Trestan said. "Most of that never even rises to the level of a crime statistic, because not every hateful interaction is a criminal offense."
Trestan said hate crimes are the most under-reported of any time of crime, and said he'd like to see more done to identify such crimes.
"One of the keys to this is ensuring that law enforcement across Massachusetts and across the country are well-trained in how you can recognize the indicators that something might be a hate crime," he said. "Even here in Massachusetts, we have many large cities and towns that have reported zero hate crimes."
Hear more from Trestan below.
WBZ NewsRadio's Ben Parker (@radiobenparker) reports