NEW YORK (Diya TV) — The New York Police Department has changed the way it reports hate crimes, a move that has sparked concern among researchers who track bias-related incidents.
The change comes just one month after the department reported a sharp increase in bias crimes across the city. Experts say the new reporting method could make hate crime numbers appear lower than they actually are.
In January, the New York Police Department reported 58 bias crimes citywide. That marked a 152% increase compared with the 23 incidents reported in January 2025. Police officials said the surge was driven largely by a spike in anti-Jewish hate crimes.
However, when the department released its February statistics, it also announced a new reporting method. Previously, the NYPD counted all hate crimes that officers were reviewing. Now, the department only reports hate crimes that investigators have fully confirmed.
Using the new system, the department reported 38 confirmed hate crimes for February. The NYPD did not provide a direct comparison with the same period last year because the reporting method has changed. Police leaders say the shift will give the public a clearer picture of hate crimes in the city.
Several researchers who study hate crime data say the new method may reduce transparency. Frank Pezzella, a professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice and author of The Measurement of Hate Crimes in America, warned that confirmed cases do not always reflect the full scale of bias crimes.
“It would be erroneous to consider that’s a drop in hate crimes,” Pezzella said.
Researchers say investigations can take time. Some cases may never reach the stage where police officially confirm them. Because of this, experts argue that limiting reports to confirmed cases could make hate crimes appear to decline even if the number of incidents remains high.
Several hate crime experts say the best solution is to publish both sets of numbers. They recommend reporting the total number of alleged hate crimes that police receive, along with the number that investigators later confirm. The New York Police Department has not responded publicly to that suggestion.
Brendan Lantz, director of the Hate Crime Research and Policy Institute at Florida State University, said many legitimate cases never reach the confirmation stage. Victims sometimes stop cooperating with investigators, he said. When that happens, police may not be able to complete the case.
Experts also say many hate crime victims come from communities that have tense relationships with law enforcement. Pezzella said that mistrust can discourage people from cooperating with investigations.
If victims withdraw from the process, investigators may lack enough evidence to confirm a hate crime. That does not mean the crime did not occur. Lantz said police also may struggle to prove that bias motivated an attack. Without clear evidence, authorities cannot classify the incident as a hate crime under the law.
“There are all kinds of things that can stand in between finding enough evidence,” Lantz said. He added that some cases may be mislabeled or remain unresolved.
The change in reporting policy comes during a tense political period. Conflicts in the Middle East have fueled heated debates in the United States. Data from the New York Police Department shows antisemitic incidents remain among the most frequently reported hate crimes in the city. At the same time, the city’s first Muslim mayor, Zohran Mamdani, has faced threats and anti-Muslim rhetoric during his political campaign. Mamdani spent thousands of dollars on personal security because of those threats.
Over the weekend, a rally outside Gracie Mansion drew national attention. The event featured a pardoned rioter from the January 6 United States Capitol attack and a far-right influencer. Authorities said the rally ended shortly after two men in a group of counterprotesters allegedly attempted to detonate explosives. City Hall officials say the mayor’s office had no role in the NYPD’s decision to change how it reports hate crimes.
Donald Green, a professor at Columbia University, said hate crime reporting often involves competing concerns. Watchdog groups argue that authorities often undercount hate crimes because victims hesitate to report them. At the same time, police investigators say many allegations fail to meet the legal definition of a hate crime.
Community outreach campaigns can also affect statistics. When officials encourage people to report incidents, the number of reported crimes may rise. Green said that the increase may reflect improved reporting rather than an actual surge in hate crimes. Lantz said collecting more detailed data remains essential.
“I think there’s value in knowing which ones did the NYPD find to be hate crimes,” he said.
He added that tracking all reported incidents gives researchers a clearer understanding of the problem.
“If we want to address something as a social problem,” Lantz said, “we need to measure it well.”
