Hate Crime? Report to Police, Then the FBI; Guide in Chinese
If you were the victim of a hate crime or saw one, the Justice Department says the first step is to report it to your state or local police by calling 911 or your local police station; in an emergency, dial 911 or your local police for immediate help. The second step is to quickly follow up by reporting it to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) at tips.fbi.gov, by calling 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324), or through your nearest FBI field office.
The Justice Department page has Traditional and Simplified Chinese versions, along with Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese and other language versions. This article follows the Justice Department’s English page: the two reporting steps, how to report incidents that aren’t crimes, and support for victims.
Step 1: Report to state or local police
The Justice Department explains (Justice Department: Report a Hate Crime):
- Call: dial 911 or call your local police station.
- Afterward: police may contact you for more information as they investigate.
Step 2: Quickly report to the FBI
- Online: fill out the online form at tips.fbi.gov, following the instructions in the pop-ups.
- Phone: 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324).
- Field office: you can also contact your local FBI field office; find its phone number on the FBI field office page.
- Afterward: the FBI may contact you for more information as it investigates.
Incidents that aren’t crimes
- Not every incident is a crime: the Justice Department says not every hate incident involves a crime.
- Report to the Civil Rights Division: you can report any incident to the Justice Department Civil Rights Division at civilrights.justice.gov.
- Possible outcomes: the Civil Rights Division may follow up for more information, start a mediation or investigation, direct you to another organization, or tell you it can’t help.
Support for victims
- VictimConnect Resource Center: funded by the Justice Department, it gives information and help to crime victims, including victims of hate crimes.
- Free: trained victim assistance specialists help you find local support services at no cost.
- How to reach it: call 1-855-484-2846, or chat on the VictimConnect website.
For which emergency number to call, see Call 911 in Emergencies, 988 for Mental Health, 211 for Help; for discrimination at work over immigration status or documents, see Immigration Status or I-9 Bias at Work, File with DOJ IER.
What this article doesn’t cover
- Definition of a hate crime: the English page doesn’t define it; the Simplified Chinese version has a section on it, which this article didn’t check line by line, so it isn’t included.
- Differences between the Chinese and English versions: the versions weren’t compared line by line; this article follows the English page.
- VictimConnect hours: the page doesn’t list them, so this article doesn’t either.
- Immigration status: the page doesn’t mention immigration status, so this article doesn’t either and draws no conclusions.
FAQ
Whom do I contact first about a hate crime?
The Justice Department says to report it to your state or local police first, calling 911 in an emergency, then quickly report it to the FBI.
I’m not sure it was a crime. Can I still report it?
Yes. The Justice Department says not every hate incident involves a crime, and you can report any incident to the Civil Rights Division at civilrights.justice.gov.
Is there a guide in Chinese?
Yes. The Justice Department page has Traditional and Simplified Chinese versions, and both opened when checked on 2026-11-01.
Who can help victims?
Call the VictimConnect Resource Center at 1-855-484-2846 or chat on its website; trained staff help you find local support services at no cost.
Sources and date checked
All checked on 2026-11-01.
- U.S. Department of Justice, Report a Hate Crime (page updated 2026-07-29):https://www.justice.gov/hatecrimes/report-a-hate-crime
- U.S. Department of Justice, 舉報仇恨犯罪或尋求幫助 (Traditional Chinese version, page updated 2026-07-28):https://www.justice.gov/zh-hant/hatecrimes/report-a-hate-crime
- U.S. Department of Justice, 举报仇恨犯罪或寻求帮助 (Simplified Chinese version, page updated 2026-07-28):https://www.justice.gov/zh-hans/hatecrimes/report-a-hate-crime