New King County Hotline Offers Non-Police Option to Report Hate Crimes

There's a new way for King County residents to report hate crimes, thanks to a long-awaited non-emergency hotline.

King County Executive Shannon Braddock announced the launch of the "Stop Hate Hotline" in October, three years after the King County Council unanimously approved the proposal in 2022. The project was created due to an increase in reported hate crimes over the past five years.

Between 2018 and 2023, the King County Prosecuting Attorney's Office (KCPAO) filed more than 270 hate crime charges, which peaked during the pandemic in February 2021. Researchers found that hate crimes against Asian Americans were exacerbated during that time. There were seven hate crime prosecutions in 2024. Since this year, 21 hate crime cases referred by police have been charged by prosecutors. Nine cases involved anti-race/ethnicity, and the majority of the rest of the cases involved anti-sexual orientation and anti-gender/gender identity. Two anti-national origin cases were also prosecuted.

"It's unfortunate to need something like this, but we're glad that we could build something that will be really effective for the community," Office of Equity, Racial, and Social Justice (OERSJ) Director Monisha Harrell said.

Partnering with local nonprofit Crisis Connections, operators are available 24 hours a day, in 200 languages. Harrell said the line was an alternative reporting option to calling the police.

Between 2020 and 2023, a King County Coalition Against Hate and Bias survey recorded almost 650 incidents of hate and bias, with 84% of respondents saying they didn't report their experiences to the police. Historically, marginalized groups have hesitated to report hate crimes to law enforcement due to fear of retaliation or discrimination.

"Law enforcement is always an option, [but] we all know those resources get very stretched," Harrell said. "[The hotline] is just another option for incidents that people might not necessarily feel rise to that level."

A caller can report a range of incidents to the Stop Hate Hotline, from racial slurs or threats to property damage to acts of violence. The hotline takes reports of hate and bias toward any protected class of race, color, religion, national origin, gender identity, sexuality, and disability. A social worker talks with the caller about the incident and can refer them to more resources.

"It's helpful for us to see where these incidents are bubbling up," Harrell said. "We've seen historically that hate speech leads to increases in hate crimes."

During the rise of anti-Asian rhetoric in 2020, the Chinese Information and Services Center (CISC) launched its own phone line to anonymously report hate crimes or incidents of bias. The project was part of the King County Coalition Against Hate and Bias and was able to provide resources from legal to mental health support, specifically reaching people who did not speak English. The line is still in operation and works independently. CISC Director Michael Itti says the national political climate targeting immigrant and refugee communities is "very frightening."

"Fortunately, we're living in a region that is welcoming," Itti said. "We have leadership from the state level to local cities that are saying hate has no place here."

Braddock will fund the Stop Hate Hotline through 2027, King County spokesperson Kristin Elia said. In time, the executive's office hopes the resource will increase reporting rates and gain "more accurate" data on hate crime and bias incidents.

Whether through the Stop Hate Hotline or by calling the police, KCPAO communications director Casey McNerthney recommended reporting hateful speech about any of the groups covered in the state's hate crime law. McNerthney said he reported a person walking down the street while yelling hateful language, though the speech wasn't directed at a particular person. He recommended reporting these incidents because people who use hate speech may commit a more violent hate crime in the future. A filed report will show the history of behavior. "A way to think of it is if you see a suspected drunken driver on the road," wrote McNerthney in an email. "Better to report suspicious activity when you think it's reasonable and let police determine if there is evidence of a crime."

The Stop Hate Hotline number is 833-786-7481, or 833-STOP-H81, 24 hours a day.