Policing Hatred: Law Enforcement, Civil Rights, and Hate Crime

Professor Bell carefully chronicles the work of a hate crime unit in a major metropolitan area. Her work offers careful detail of the type of crimes encountered, decisions investigate and charge suspects, and even the varied outlook of different cops within the unit. At the same time, Bell keeps her narrative grounded in real cases and real injuries. The result is a detailed analysis that remains engaging and compelling, and does not sacrifice individual anecdotes for the sake of social science.

Policing Hatred examines the important issue of hate crimes from a new vanatage point -- the cops on the beat, whose actions and decisions will affect significantly the judicial process. Bell's study of how and why police charge crimes as hate crimes is facinating, very well-written, and accessible to anyone interested in law and political science.