The purpose of this hearing is to hear testimony from government and public witnesses about hate crimes in the District, including trends, police response, and prosecution. Police response and reporting of hate crimes has been an ongoing oversight issue for the Committee; the most recent hearings on the issue were held on July 6, 2011 and November 2, 2011. Crimes tha tappear to be committed on the basis of bias or prejudice of the victim continue to occur in the District. The Committee s eeks testimony regarding the overall strategy and approach to investigating and responding to hate crimes, including ongoing interatction with the community.