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In a press conference held by Suffolk County Executive Steven Bellone and Police Commissioner Rodney Harrison on Tuesday, April 25, the new number was unveiled: 631-852-HATE.
Bellone encouraged Suffolk County citizens to utilize this new phone line to report any hate incidents they may encounter.
“[Hate] has become all too prevalent across the country,” he said.
“Let me be clear. Hate has no place in our county...We cannot and we will not tolerate any actions that seek to divide and harm our neighbors and our communities.”
The hotline, which Bellone called “critically important,” will be manned by detectives Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 1 a.m.
Callers can choose to have their identity kept completely confidential.
Services will also be available in Spanish, and anyone who calls outside of those hours should leave a message.
The announcement of the hotline comes after the department released its Transparency Hub in February 2022.
Currently, the “Hate Crime” section of the hub tracks hate crimes and hate incidents, but it will soon track “bias incidents” as well in an effort to keep track of patterns that may lead to a hate crime, according to Harrison. The hotline is a further effort to forge a better relationship between the SCPD and its citizens.
In 2023, Bellone reported that Suffolk County has so far investigated four hate crimes, 28 hate-related incidents, and reviewed an additional 98 calls that “could have been deemed hate offenses.”
Joined on the stage of the conference were numerous ambassadors for the project, including Masjid Darul Quran’s Hassan Ahmed and Rabbi Mendel Teldon.
“The more you talk about hate, the more power you give it,” Teldon claimed.
Nevertheless, he said, it is “demanded” of citizens to be good people in the streets, and not just in their hearts.
“Be an agent of change,” he said. “Being indifferent is being a silent accomplice.”
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