If you or someone you know has recently been the victim of a hate crime or a hate/bias incident, either on campus or in the general Walla Walla area, we want to know about it as soon as possible. There are several ways to report a hate crime or incident:
- If you think the event is a hate crime, report it directly to the Walla Walla Police Department by dialing 527-1960 (be sure to call 911 if there is an emergency such as a fire or an injury requiring immediate medical attention). You do not have to contact campus security before doing this. Tell the dispatcher and the responding officer clearly and firmly that you are reporting a hate crime, and prepare yourself in advance to explain your reasons for this claim. Don't be afraid to assert yourself if you are challenged. If you choose this route, you will need to document the crime and your report thoroughly. Click here for tips on how to do this.
- You can report a hate crime to Whitman campus security (527-5777) without having to go to the police, or campus security can help you file a report with the police. Members of campus security have undergone hate crimes response training, and a representative of campus security serves on the Action Against Hate committee.
- You can report hate crimes and hate/bias incidents anonymously by using our online hate crime/bias incident report form or by printing out a paper form (available in Word [click here] and HTML [click here]) to fill out and send in. Even if you report a hate crime or hate incident elsewhere, we'd still like to hear about it from you. Note that we cannot take further action on crimes reported using this form; we collect this information only in order to find out more about the frequency and nature of hate crimes and hate incidents in our area. However, you can request on the form that a trained advocate from Action Against Hate contact you after we receive your form; we can also help you to report the crime or incident to other offices or authorities. You might want to document a hate crime even if you report it anonymously, in case you decide later on to report it in person.
- If you're not sure whether what happened to you "counts" as a hate crime/incident, please report it to us anyway. The more information we have, the more we can do to keep this campus safe for everyone.
