Missoula Montana Lead Fight Against Hate Crimes

A little over a year ago, with very little money, and some posters, something in Missoula, Montana started  that would grow into an effort to address crimes of bias that is now a well-funded plan.

In addition to posters, newspaper, television and radio ads and billboards, the Stop Bias Crimes campaign will depend heavily on a website which allows victims who otherwise may be too fearful of filing a police report, to securely let MIssoula law enforcement know when they’ve been victim of a hate crime.

The first step in dealing with GLBT bias came in 2005, when Scott Oak, a Missoula policeman volunteered to be the department’s first gay and lesbian liaison. When Oak left the force to do training for a military contractor in Afghanistan, Sgt. Casey Richardson stepped in and has since become the department’s quality of life officer.

Richardson, along with Rusty Wickman, who was the chief at the time, had become aware that a significant number of hate crimes, in particular those against gays and lesbians, were going unreported. The current chief, Mark Muir said only six such crimes were reported to Missoula police in 2007.

Find more about this grass-roots effort to stop hate crimes at www.stopbias.com.