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Drug, hate crime numbers climbing in Idaho

Posted at 11:58 AM, Sep 04, 2018
and last updated 2018-09-04 13:58:15-04

The latest annual crime report from the Idaho State Police shows the state had a 2 percent increase in its most serious crimes last year.

The Idaho Press reports violent crime increased 2.6 percent in 2017 compared to the previous year. Hate crimes and drug crimes saw some of the largest jumps, however, with drug crimes increasing by more than 11 percent and hate crime reports up nearly 16 percent.

More hate crimes were reported in Ada and Canyon counties than in any other part of the state. Statewide there were 51 reported hate crimes in 2017 compared to 44 in 2016.

Under Idaho law, hate crimes are called "malicious harassment" and they occur when someone maliciously harasses, threatens or commits violence against a person because of the victim's race, color, religion, ancestry or national origin. The state law does not include protections for those who are harassed because of their gender identity or sexual orientation; several attempts to expand legal protection to include those categories have been rejected by the Idaho Legislature.