Illinois State Police cadets will be getting new training in hate crimes.
Hate crimes are on the rise. The Chicago police department reported 72 such incidents last year — a 20 percent increase over the year before.
Now the Illinois State Police is developing new hate-crime training in conjunction with the Anti-Defamation League, where Jessica Gall is a regional official.
“By training first responders to identify, investigate and appropriately respond to these type of crimes, (that) will only serve strengthen the relationships that law enforcement has in our community.”
Both Attorney General Lisa Madigan and Gov. Bruce Rauner have called for stricter legislation.
The General Assembly is considering expanding the list of offenses that can be prosecuted as hate crimes to include intimidation, stalking, and transmission of obscene messages.