The new number: 631-852-HATE was announced during a press conference Tuesday, April 25 with Suffolk County Executive Steven Veron and Police Chief Rodney Harrison.
Bellone encourages Suffolk County citizens to use the new phone line to report any incidents of hate they may encounter.
“[Hate] It has become very common across the country,” he said.
“Let me be clear. Hate has no place in our county… We cannot and will not tolerate any attempt to divide and harm our neighbors and communities.”
The hotline, which Bellone described as “critical”, will be answered by detectives Monday to Friday from 9am to 1am
Callers have the option to keep their identity completely confidential.
Service will also be available in Spanish, and anyone calling outside of these hours should leave a message.
The hotline comes after the department released its Transparency Center in February 2022.
Currently, the center’s “hate crimes” section tracks hate crimes and hate incidents, but Harrison said it will soon also track “bias incidents” in an effort to track patterns that can lead to hate crimes. This hotline is a further effort to build a better relationship between the SCPD and its citizens.
In 2023, Bellone reports that Suffolk County has so far investigated four hate crimes, 28 hate-related incidents, and reviewed an additional 98 calls that “may be considered hate crimes.”
The conference was joined on stage by numerous ambassadors of the project, including Masjid Darul Quran’s Hassan Ahmed and Rabbi Mendel Teldon.
“The more you talk about hate, the more power you give to it,” Turton claimed.
Still, he said, citizens are “demanded” to be good people on the street, not just in their hearts.
“Be an agent of change,” he said. “Indifference is the silent accomplice.”
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