Hate crime hotline launches to support victims in Larimer County - Reporter-Herald
Thomas Clayton
The 24/7 hotline can be reached at 970-498-7150
The 8th Judicial District Attorney’s Office announced a new bias-motivated and hate crime hotline Tuesday that will give victims a streamlined tool to report incidents.
The 24/7 hotline, which can be reached at 970-498-7150, is not an emergency number, but will allow victims of hate crimes to leave a message for the office’s chief investigator who will keep track of cases, follow up with victims, and collaborate with local law enforcement and resources when needed.
“When we get these calls, we’re going to be working with our law enforcement partners to really make sure we turn over every stone we can think about on the investigative side,” District Attorney Gordon McLaughlin said.
A bias motivated crime is an incident that is solely or partly motivated by race, color, ancestry, religion, national origin, physical or mental disability, sexual orientation, or transgender identity, according to an 8th Judicial District Attorney press release.
The idea for the hotline was a collaborative effort between the office and the community, McLaughlin said, adding that the Loveland organization, Heart and Sol, which aims to promote diversity and cultural appreciation in the city, was among those groups.
“We identified that there was a gap where we could build community trust and where we can make our community feel safer,” said Executive Director Caitlin Wyrick.
The goal of the hotline is to curb the number of hate crimes that go unreported, McLaughlin said, adding that victims are often scared, don’t know if the incident is something the criminal justice system can address, and that there is a lack of trust.
“This hotline doesn’t solve all of these problems, but it hopefully will break down the barrier to provide folks an opportunity to report a crime they may not otherwise have done,” McLaughlin said, adding that victims should also report the incident to their local law enforcement agency.
In 2021, McLaughlin contributed to efforts to change how bias-motivated crimes are defined through Senate Bill 280, making it so that bias motivation only needs to be part of the defendant’s reason for committing the crime. Still, not every hate crime or bias motivated incident is prosecutable, McLaughlin said.
“But some people are (prosecutable) and we want to help sort through those issues and find where we can be of assistance,” he said, adding that his office can’t support someone without knowing what occurred.
McLaughlin also said that his office will not request any information regarding immigration status.
“We are sworn to protect all victims in our community,” he said. “If you are a victim of a crime, no matter your immigration status, that is unacceptable and you deserve support and we will prosecute that case.”
Wyrick said she is looking forward to what the collected data will tell the county about the types of hate crimes that are happening in Larimer County, adding that she believes policy change backed by data is most effective.
“Without no data, how can you justify policy change?” Wyrick said, adding that she is hopeful the hotline will continue the conversation on combatting hate in the community.
She hopes residents feel heard and cared for by their county while perpetrators receive the signal that hate isn’t welcome and will be taken seriously.
“This is just the start of a really big conversation,” Wyrick said. “I give kudos to the District Attorney’s office because they want to do the right thing for our community and they want to see justice, especially for those who have been wronged …”
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For more information about the hotline, visit https://www.larimer.gov/da/bias-and-hate-motivated-crimes.
 | Tom Clayton Communication and Media Specialist, Public Affairs |
| Commissioners' Office 200 W Oak St, Fort Collins, 80522 | 2nd Floor W: (970) 498-7005 tcla...@larimer.org | www.larimer.org |