While most states have hate crime statutes, only about five include law enforcement officers as a protected category. Utah is one of these states. After a 2021 traffic stop for speeding, Lauren Gibson is alleged to have stomped on a "Back the Blue" sign while "smirking in an intimidating manner" at a deputy. She was charged with a hate crime for her actions. These leads to two issues. The first is a specific matter: did her actions constitute a hate crime?
Earlier this year, a social media account started documenting the mysterious and alarming appearance of spray-painted swastikas around downtown Ventura. But the account was not run by a good Samaritan trying to draw attention to a hate crime, authorities later determined. It was instead the handiwork of a convicted rapist who was committing the vandalism himself, then posting photos online in an effort to sow fear, according to the Ventura Police Department and the county district attorney's office.
Cornett told a detective he was 'pissed' about undocumented migrants receiving welfare funds, and had fantasized about firing on them from an Apache helicopter.
The woman, who did not want to be named due to security concerns, told CNN that she was initially reluctant to file a police report on the incident. But on Monday, she released a statement demanding an immediate hate crimes investigation and action from city and state officials.