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Kentucky

A graphic of a blue U.S. map with Kentucky highlighted in yellow.

2023 Hate Crime Statistics for Kentucky*

Bias Motivation Categories by Year

Bias Motivation Category

2021

2022

2023

Race/Ethnicity/Ancestry

91

91

91

Religion

6

15

17

Sexual Orientation

40

33

43

Disability

4

2

7

Gender

0

1

1

Gender Identity

13

7

8

Total:

154

149

167

Types of Crime

Crimes Against Persons12967.5%
Crimes Against Property5930.9%
Crimes Against Society31.6%

Bias Motivation Categories

Race/Ethnicity/Ancestry9154.5%
Religion1710.2%
Sexual Orientation4325.7%
Disability74.2%
Gender10.6%
Gender Identity84.8%

 


*2021 was the first year that the annual hate crimes statistics were reported entirely through the National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS).  As a result of the shift to NIBRS-only data collection, law enforcement agency participation in submitting all crime statistics, including hate crimes, fell significantly from 2020 to 2021.  


Case Examples

A Kentucky woman was sentenced to nine years in prison for mailing threats to her neighbors in 2020 because of their race.

The woman sent multiple threatening letters to an interracial couple and their children, who lived in the same neighborhood. Many of these letters contained violent threats and racial slurs.

At trial, the jury found that the threatening letters were sent to the defendant’s neighbors because of their race.

Press Release: https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/kentucky-woman-sentenced-mailing-threatening-communications-neighbors-because-their-race

A Kentucky man was sentenced to life in prison without parole for two racially motivated murders and his attempted murder of a third person.

On Oct. 24, 2018, the defendant followed a Black man who was grocery shopping with his grandson, before shooting him several times and killing him. He then walked out of the store and into the parking lot, where he shot and killed a Black woman, and exchanged fire with a Black man who was in lawful possession of a handgun. As he left the third victim, he encountered a legally armed white man, who he said he would not shoot because “whites don’t shoot whites.”

Press Release: https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/kroger-shooter-sentenced-life-prison-hate-crime-murders

News


 

 

DOJ Offices

FBI Field Office
FBI

 

Louisville
12401 Sycamore Station Place
Louisville, KY 40299-6198

T: 502.263.6000
louisville.fbi.gov

U.S. Attorneys' Offices
DOJ

 

Eastern District of Kentucky (Lexington)
www.justice.gov/usao-edky/contact-us

Western District of Kentucky (Louisville)
www.justice.gov/usao-wdky/contact-us


CRS Regional Offices
CRS

 

Southeastern Regional Office
61 Forsyth Street SW
Suite 7B65
Atlanta, GA 30303

T: 404.331.6883
F: 404.331.4471
askcrs@usdoj.gov
Southeastern Field Office
51 SW First Avenue
Suite 624
Miami, FL 33130

T: 305.536.5206
F: 305.536.6778
askcrs@usdoj.gov
Updated February 3, 2025