Several Reports Of Hate Crimes In The Coachella Valley

PALM SPRINGS – National statistics released by the FBI include several hate crimes against homosexuals in the Coachella Valley, it was reported Saturday.

The data, released last week, shows Palm Springs had six crimes related to sexual orientation and one each related to race and religion, the highest total number among Coachella Valley cities.

Indio had two crimes related to sexual orientation last year, according to the FBI.

La Quinta reported one crime each related to race, religion and ethnicity, while Rancho Mirage had one crime associated with ethnicity, according to the FBI.

There was an incident involving a swastika being spray-painted on a Jewish synagogue’s wall this year, Cathedral City police Lt. Glen Haas told the paper.

Overall, the number of reported hate crime incidents increased about 2 percent nationwide. These same figures show a nearly 11 percent increase in hate crime offenses based on sexual orientation, and a nearly 9 percent increase in hate crime offenses based on religion.

The results came less than a month after President Barack Obama approved a new law that makes it a federal hate crime to assault people based on sexual orientation.