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<law><site_title>Virginia Decoded</site_title><site_url>https://vacode.org</site_url><law_id>73991</law_id><section_number>52-8.5</section_number><catch_line>Reporting hate crimes</catch_line><edition url="https://vacode.org/2025/" slug="2025" current="TRUE" last_updated="">2025</edition><referred_to_by><reference>19.2-392.12</reference><reference>24.2-233</reference><reference>32.1-39</reference><reference>9.1-102</reference></referred_to_by><structure><unit label="title" level="1" order_by="1" identifier="52">Police (State)</unit><unit label="chapter" level="2" order_by="1" identifier="1">Department of State Police</unit></structure><text>
						<section id="A"><p><span class="prefix-number">A.</span> The Superintendent shall establish and maintain within the Department of State Police a central repository for the collection and analysis of information regarding <span class="dictionary">hate crimes</span> and groups and individuals carrying out such acts. <a id="paragraph-266125" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/52-8.5/#A"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section>
						<section id="B"><p><span class="prefix-number">B.</span> State, county, and municipal <span class="dictionary">law</span>-enforcement agencies shall report to the Department all <span class="dictionary">hate crimes</span> occurring in their <span class="dictionary">jurisdictions</span> in a form, time, and manner prescribed by the Superintendent. Such reports shall not be open to public inspection except insofar as the Superintendent shall permit. <a id="paragraph-266126" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/52-8.5/#B"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section>
						<section id="C"><p><span class="prefix-number">C.</span> As used in this section:
			&#x201C;<span class="dictionary">Disability</span>&#x201D; means a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more of a person&#x2019;s major life activities.
			&#x201C;<span class="dictionary">Hate crime</span>&#x201D; means (i) a criminal act committed against a person or his property with the specific <span class="dictionary">intent</span> of instilling fear or intimidation in the individual against whom the act is perpetrated because of race, religion, gender, <span class="dictionary">disability</span>, gender identity, sexual orientation, or ethnic or national origin or that is committed for the purpose of restraining that person from exercising his rights under the Constitution or <span class="dictionary">laws</span> of the Commonwealth or of the United States; (ii) any illegal act directed against any persons or their property because of those persons&#x2019; race, religion, gender, <span class="dictionary">disability</span>, gender identity, sexual orientation, or ethnic or national origin; and (iii) all other incidents, as determined by <span class="dictionary">law</span>-enforcement authorities, intended to intimidate or harass any individual or group because of race, religion, gender, <span class="dictionary">disability</span>, gender identity, sexual orientation, or ethnic or national origin. <a id="paragraph-266127" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/52-8.5/#C"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section></text><history>1988, c. 838; 2002, cc. 588, 623; 2020, cc. 124, 746, 1171.</history><metadata></metadata></law>
