WASHINGTON — Hate-crime incidents decreased slightly last year despite a surge in those targeting gays and lesbians.
The FBI reported more than 7,600 hate-crime incidents in 2007, down about 1 percent from the previous year. The decline was driven by decreases in the two largest categories of hate crimes — crimes against race and religion.
But incidents linked to prejudice against sexual orientation, the third-largest category, increased about 6 percent, the report found.
The FBI report does not compare its data from one year to the next because the number of law-enforcement agencies participating in the annual count varies from year to year.
The report was based on data drawn from 13,241 law-enforcement agencies nationwide, covering about 85 percent of the nation’s population.
