Boulder County saw an increase in the amount of hate crimes reported last year, which is in line with increases in bias-motivated incidents across the country.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation released its report on hate crime statistics for the year 2016, which saw more than 6,100 incidents nationwide — a 5 percent increase from 2015.
While the numbers are small, several departments in Boulder County saw increases in hate crimes as well. The University of Colorado Police Department reported six hate crimes — two involving race, three involving religion and one involving sexual orientation. The Boulder Police Department reported four incidents — two involving race, one involving religion and one involving sexual orientation.
University of Colorado spokesman Scott Pribble said four of the six incidents reported at CU involved people writing derogatory terms on residence hall dry erase boards, while the other two cases involved bathroom graffiti and extortion.
