Garland launches internal Justice Dept. review to improve hate-crime tracking, prosecutions

Attorney General Merrick Garland on Tuesday announced that the Justice Department will conduct a 30-day internal review to determine how the agency can bolster the tracking and prosecutions of hate crimes and bias incidents motivated around race, gender and other factors.

In his first executive memo to staff since taking office, Garland said hate crimes have a “toxic effect” on society and emphasized that reports of rising discrimination and violence aimed at Asian Americans during the coronavirus pandemic required “renewed energy and emphasis” from the federal law enforcement agency.