Police

1200 Oakwood Street

Ypsilanti, Michigan 48197

[email protected]

To report a crime or incident that is in progress, pick up a blue-light emergency phone or call 734.487.1222 or 911

Hate Crimes

Hate crimes and bias incidents are very serious crimes and are not tolerated by Eastern Michigan University or the Eastern Michigan University Police Department.

The EMU Police Department is committed to unbiased policing and our promise to you is that you will be treated with dignity, respect, and confidentiality at all times.

Reporting Hate Crime/ Bias Incidents

>If you are a victim of, or a witness to a hate-motivated incident call the EMU Police Department at 734.487.1222, if the crime is occurring dial 911 from a land-line, call 734.487.1222 from your cell phone or locate an emergency blue-light phone on campus; visit the Police Station at 1200 Oakwood St., located near the Market Place; or call the EMU Police Department anonymous tip line at 734.487.4847.

What is a Hate/Bias Crime?

A hate crime or bias crime is a criminal offense committed against a person based on their race, religion, ethnicity/national origin, sexual orientation, or gender.

What is a Hate/Bias Incident?


A bias incident or hate incident involves behaviors, though motivated by bias against a victim’s race, religion, ethnicity/national origin, sexual orientation, gender, age, or disability, are not criminal offenses. Hateful speech or other disrespectful/discriminatory behavior may be motivated by bias, but are not illegal. They become crimes only when they directly incite perpetrators to commit violence against persons or property, or if they place a potential victim in reasonable fear of injury, or intimidate or harass a person with specific intent motivated solely by a person’s race, religion, ethnicity/national origin, sexual orientation, or gender.

The Law

Michigan has an Ethnic Intimidation law making it a crime for a person to maliciously, and with specific intent to intimidate or harass another person because of that person’s race, color, religion, gender, or national origin (Michigan Compiled Law 750.147b). Michigan law does not currently have a statute against hate crimes based on a victim’s sexual orientation. For example, a person who assaults another person based upon a bias against their sexual orientation would be charged with assault and battery, but not ethnic intimidation or a hate crime. However, it will be recorded and reported as a bias incident to the State of Michigan, FBI, and reported as a Clery Act crime.

Federal law criminalizes willfully causing bodily injury (or attempting to do so with fire, a firearm, or other dangerous weapon) when: (1) the crime was committed because of the actual or perceived race, color, religion, national origin, of any person, or; (2) the crime was committed because of the actual or perceived religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability of any person, and the crime affected interstate or foreign commerce, or occurred on federal property (Matthew Shepard/James Byrd, Jr., Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 2009).

Other Resources

  • EMU Department of Diversity and Community Involvement (DCI)
  • Center for Multicultural Affairs, 358 Student Center, 734.487.2377
  • Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Resource Center, 354 Student Center, 734.487.4149
  • Women’s Resource Center, 356 Student Center, 734.487.4282

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