Anti-Asian hate crimes on rise in Seattle area, police say

Seattle police are noting a rising trend in hate crimes targeting Asian-Americans, echoing similar observations from across the region, and the nation.

The Seattle Police Department documented six anti-Asian hate crimes in 2018. In 2019, the number was nine. There were 14 reported in Seattle in 2020.

This echoes reports from the King County Prosecutor's Office this week, covering hate crime cases from across the county. The prosecutor's office charged 30 hate crime cases in 2018, and 39 in 2019. In 2020, however, that number shot up to 59 cases. So far in 2021, the office has charged seven cases.

“There was a 20-case increase (between 2019 and 2020)," said Leandra Craft, King County deputy prosecutor, at a virtual press conference this week. She said the uptick is partly because a detective is dedicated to hate crimes. But that's not the only reason.