2009 saw most federal hate crime cases since 2001

    WASHINGTON (AP) - The Justice Department has brought more federal hate crimes cases this year than in any year since 2001.
    The total is at 25 so far in the Obama administration’s first year.
    In 2001, there were 31 such cases filed. The number fell to a low of 12 in 2006, before starting to rise again, reaching 23 in 2008.
    The head of the department’s civil rights divisions says he was “shocked” by that drop-off during the Bush administration. Tom Perez notes that the number of hate crimes did not fall.
    During the Bush administration, an internal investigation found improper politically motivated hiring and personnel practices in the civil rights division.
   
    (Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press.  All Rights Reserved.)