Washington state is preparing to launch its hate crimes hotline, with Jewish organizations hoping that the program will effectively connect victims of anti-Jewish bias incidents and hate crimes to resources.
Mike Faulk, deputy communications director for the Washington state attorney general’s office, told JNS that the Hate Crimes and Bias Incidents Hotline’s pilot program received 694 reports from July 1, 2025, to June 1, 2026. It will continue operating through the end of 2026, with the full launch beginning on Jan. 1, 2027.
Faulk said “sufficient data” is not yet available for the demographics of these incidents, but “a report is due to the legislature and the governor by July 1, 2027, and will be made publicly available.”
He noted that nearly half of all incidents were reported from King County, and that about 63% of all reports were done via an online form and 36% via phone call. Less than half of all reports requested follow-up.
Some users told JNS that in response to their incident reports, they received emails directing them to local Jewish organizations for support.
“A hotline can serve an important purpose if it provides a simple, trusted entry point for people who experience incidents of hate and may not know where to turn,” Regina Sassoon Friedland, director of the American Jewish Committee’s Seattle office, told JNS. “The real question is whether it adds meaningful support beyond making a referral.”
“If callers are ultimately being directed back to Jewish organizations for assistance, then the measure of success should be whether the hotline is helping people navigate the system, documenting incidents and connecting victims to resources more effectively than they could on their own,” Friedland said.
The state is now taking proposals for a call center to operate the statewide hotline. Faulk told JNS that the pilot program is “currently handled by staff at the attorney general’s office, and is operated as a voicemail line and webform reporting form with responses to reports within two to three business days.”
“When the call center launches, it will respond to calls live, as they are received,” he said. “The types of services provided, including referrals to appropriate resources, will continue.”
Faulk emphasized that the hotline is intended to provide support, information and referrals rather than investigate complaints, stating that the resource “is a victim-support and information-and-referral hotline.” The Attorney General’s Office does not have “the legal authority to open an investigation or case, prosecute, or sanction a perpetrator of hate or bias, or otherwise initiate any litigation regarding bias incidents or hate crimes,” he said.
According to Faulk, callers are referred to community organizations, government services and, if requested, law enforcement. Hotline staff members are required to ask whether a reported hate crime has been reported to police and, if not, whether the caller would like assistance doing so.
Under Washington law, law-enforcement agencies that receive reports of hate crimes or bias incidents must provide victims with the hotline’s phone number and website.
Friedland told JNS that if the hotline is “simply acting as a pass-through, policymakers should ask whether the hotline is translating into tangible support for victims, or simply redirecting people to organizations that are already doing that work.”
