Hate Crimes & Bias Incidents Hotline Frequently Asked Questions

In Washington, a person experiences a hate crime if they are the target of one of the criminal acts listed below in whole or in part because of another person’s perception of another person's race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender expression or identity, or mental, physical, or sensory disability.

• Physical injury or assault to another person.
• Physical damage to or destruction of the property of another person.
• Threats to another person or group of people that causes a “reasonable fear” that physical injury or property damage could occur.

A hate crime is a felony in Washington, carrying a maximum sentence of five years in prison and/or a $100,000 fine. A victim of a hate crime may also bring a civil lawsuit against the perpetrator for actual damages, punitive damages up to $100,000, and reasonable attorneys’ fees and costs incurred for bringing the lawsuit (RCW 9A.36.080).

In Washington, a bias incident is a hostile expression of animus toward another person based on the other person’s actual or perceived race, color, creed, religion, ancestry, national origin, citizenship or immigration status, sex, honorably discharged veteran or military status, sexual orientation, or the presence of any sensory, mental, or physical disability or the use of a trained dog guide or service animal by a person with a disability (RCW 43.10.305(5)(a)). The list of characteristics include the characteristics under Washington’s hate crimes law and the protected classes under the Washington Law Against Discrimination (RCW 49.60.030(1)).

“Hostile expression of animus” means expressing an opinion of hate or bias in a rude, unfriendly, or aggressive manner. A bias incident is an incident that does not rise to the level of a crime or criminal act. Examples of bias incidents include, but are not limited to:

• Using insulting language towards someone else based on their perceived characteristics or protected class.
• Creating racist or insulting images or drawings based on someone’s perceived characteristics or protected class.
• Mocking someone with a disability or someone’s cultural norms or practices.

Pursuant to SSB 5427 (2023-2024) and codified at RCW 43.10.305, the Washington state legislature requires the Attorney General’s Office to establish and staff a hate crimes and bias incidents hotline that is dedicated to assisting those who have been targeted or affected by hate crimes and bias incidents.

The hotline is tasked with providing callers with information and referrals to local, culturally relevant, trauma-informed, and victim-centered services and resources. When a hate crime is reported to the hotline, staff are required to ask whether the caller has reported the hate crime to local law enforcement, and, with consent, share the caller’s name, address, and contact information with local law enforcement. A caller may consent to sharing some but not all of their personal identifying information with local law enforcement. When any law enforcement agency in Washington receives a report of a hate crime or bias incident, they must share the hotline’s contact information with the person reporting the hate crime or bias incident.

The hotline will be piloted in three counties starting July 1, 2025: King, Clark, and Spokane. The hotline will expand to serve Washingtonians statewide on January 1, 2027. Beginning July 1, 2027, and on an annual basis afterwards, the Attorney General’s Office must provide a report to the Washington state legislature and the Governor’s Office on the number of calls received by the hotline. The annual report must be publicly available on the Attorney General’s Office website. Personal identifying information must be excluded from the annual report.

The Hate Crimes and Bias Incidents Hotline is a resource for anyone who has been affected by an incident of hate or bias to receive information and referrals to service providers that are local, culturally-relevant, trauma-informed, and victim-centered.

The Hate Crimes and Bias Incidents Hotline does not investigate individuals or generate lists of residents. Other than a short description of the incident, used to determine the appropriate services a caller may want referrals to, the hotline does not collect information about the individual(s) who have caused harm to the caller, including personal identifying information.

While the Hate Crimes & Bias Incidents Hotline is here to hear your story, help you understand your options, make choices about next steps, and receive support in the aftermath of experiencing or witnessing bias, the hotline does not provide legal advice. State law prohibits the Attorney General, deputy attorneys general, and assistant attorneys general from engaging in the private practice of law. This means that the Attorney General’s Office cannot represent private citizens in court either to bring an action on behalf of an individual, or to defend an individual. Any private citizen needing such representation should consult a private attorney.

Only when you want. The hotline is required to ask a caller if they reported the hate crime to local law enforcement, and, if not, whether they would like to report to law enforcement. If the caller would like a referral to local law enforcement, the caller must provide consent to share their name, address, and/or contact information with local law enforcement.

When any law enforcement agency in Washington receives a report of a hate crime or bias incident, local law enforcement must share the hotline’s contact information with the person reporting the hate crime or bias incident so that they may seek referrals to services.

As defined by Washington state law at RCW 43.10.305(5)(g), “personal identifying information” means “any information that can be used to distinguish or trace an individual's identity, such as name, prior legal name, alias, mother's maiden name, date or place of birth, residence, mailing address, telephone number, email address, social security number, driver's license number, bank account number, or other similar information.”

Information submitted via the hotline or web portal regarding the character, location, and impacted protected class of any hate crime or bias incident will be shared analyzed by the Attorney General’s Office. Pursuant to RCW 43.10.305(2)(e) the AGO will share results of their annual data analysis from this information to the Governor and the Legislature, as well as publicly available on the hotline’s website. Personal identifying information will be redacted from any reports shared with the AGO on the hotline pursuant to RCW 43.10.305(2)(f) and RCW 42.56.

De-identified, anonymous data may be subject to public record requests.

Data, including identifying information, may be released if required by court order.

By submitting information via the hotline or the web portal, you consent to the collection and processing of the relevant data as described above.

The line will initially be piloted in 3 counties in Washington state — one of which needs to be in Eastern Washington — beginning on July 1, 2025 for a year and a half, and will expand statewide in January 2027. The three pilot counties that were chosen were King, Clark, and Spokane counties. The three counties were chosen based on hate crimes data available in the 2023 Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs Annual Crime Report, as well as the diversity of each county (metropolitan, rural, both) and the size of each county.