American Psychological Association Applauds Senators Kennedy and Smith for Advancing "The Local Law Enforcement Act of 2005"

APA Public Interest Policy Office: May 26, 2006

Washington D.C. - The American Psychological Association (APA) applauds Senators Edward Kennedy (D-MA) and Gordon Smith (R-OR) for advancing “The Local Law Enforcement Enhancement Act of 2005” (LLEEA, S.1145). This legislation would strengthen our nation’s response to hate crimes by expanding federal jurisdiction and providing state and local law enforcement with federal assistance to prosecute hate crimes. With 44 co-sponsors, LLEEA reflects a strong bi-partisan effort to support our nation’s most vulnerable populations.

"Hate crimes not only inflict physical harm on their victims, but also negatively affect their mental health," explained APA’s CEO Norman B. Anderson, Ph.D. "This legislation would send a strong statement that the federal government will not tolerate hate crimes."

In 2004, the FBI documented over 7,600 hate crimes. However, currently hate crimes can only be prosecuted at the federal level when motivated by bias based on race, religion, or national origin and when the victim is engaged in a federally protected activity (e.g., voting) and in several other circumstances specified by statute. Hence, hate crimes often go unrecognized and unprosecuted.

The "Local Law Enforcement Enhancement Act" would improve our nation’s response to hate crime:

Expanding current law to recognize crimes motivated by a person’s gender, sexual orientation, or disability, and
Enabling the federal government to address those cases that other jurisdictions are either unable or unwilling to investigate and prosecute, while retaining primary responsibility for hate crime prosecution at the state and local level.

The American Psychological Association is pleased to join with Senators Kennedy and Smith and their colleagues in efforts to achieve enactment of “The Local Law Enforcement Enhancement Act of 2005.”

For additional information, please contact Karen Chen in our Public Policy Office at (202) 336-6097.

The American Psychological Association (APA) is the largest scientific and professional organization representing psychology in the United States and is the world's largest association of psychologists. APA's membership includes 150,000 researchers, educators, clinicians, consultants, and students. Through its divisions in 53 subfields of psychology and affiliations with 60 state, territorial, and Canadian provincial associations, APA works to advance psychology as a science, as a profession, and as a means of promoting health, education, and human welfare.