Bias incidents should be reported.
That’s the message the Ocean County Prosecutor wants out to the public.
Recently, Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer and other top personnel from the Prosecutor’s Office met with the Lakewood Coalition – a group that meets quarterly to discuss pressing needs and issues in the Kehilla in regards to mental health, social services, and other community-wide concerns.
During the meeting, the Kehilla’s organizational leadership addressed the growing concerns in the region with regards to anti-Semitism, bias incidents, and incitement on social media with the County’s top law enforcement official.
In a 90-minute, wide-ranging discussion, the Prosecutor emphasized repeatedly the importance of reporting all bias incidents, and he stressed that hate crimes and bias incidents are a priority concern and a matter which he and his team are taking very seriously.
Prosecutor Billhimer spoke about the NJ Attorney General’s new reporting system for bias crimes. He explained that Attorney General Grewal is urging the public to come forward and report whenever they experience a hate incident, as these are usually underreported.
Numerous stories of disturbing incidents of bias and hate against Jews were shared during the meeting. Several of the attendees commented that their clients, friends, neighbors, etc have told them that people are often hesitant to report an incident to the police. Many people are concerned about being seen as a bother or making a frivolous report. The Prosecutor responded that even if an incident may seem minor, it is crucial to share the circumstances of the incident so that it can be investigated by law enforcement.
Members of the Coalition also shared that people who report incidents sometimes wonder if there is any meaningful follow-up, and expressed that people were therefore wondering whether reporting had any value. The Prosecutor and his senior team reiterated that every reported instance of bias is taken with the utmost seriousness.
Even if law enforcement officials cannot provide updates on their response to the report due to privacy concerns or ongoing investigations, that does not mean that nothing is being done. Every report of a possible bias incident is tracked by law enforcement and investigated if necessary.
Prosecutor Billhimer urged members of the Coalition organizations to get the word out to the public: Report every instance of bias to the police and to Attorney General’s bias hotline. If you aren’t sure whether something is bias or not, it is better to err on the side of caution and report it.
If you see, hear, or experience a bias incident, report it immediately by calling. 911. Then please make sure to report it to the New Jersey Attorney General’s office using any of the following ways:
– Call the Bias Reporting Hotline: 1-800-277-2427 or
– Send an email to the AG: [email protected] or
– Fill out an online reporting form: www.nj.gov/oag/bias.
Jackson! Hello?????
Can you verify if the Lakewood PD passes on that info to the attorney general’s office per their above request?
Im confused. Theres an openly biased scandal taking place in Jackson and we have not heard a word from AG Grewal or the OC Prosecutors office. Why would someone report bias when officials let it run rampant under their nose?
Until the animals in Jackson are prosecuted the message is clear, “Don’t report anything because we don’t care.” Sorry. Talk is cheap. If you want us to report bias incidents show us that you will actually do something about it.
Recently, I read an article about the mass shooting in Odessa, Texas.
They referred to the suspect as an animal.
Kindly save the word “animal” for the real killers.
Discrimination in America, whether on the basis of religion, ethnicity, race, or gender, is illegal. It is illegal to discriminate or target people, even if you don’t like them.
I think some of our elected officials forgot this point. You don’t need to like the person to be obligated to treat him fairly.
Rob Nixon – I am allowed to pray with my neighbors in my home – just like you are allowed to grab a beer and play cards and socialize and do what you want with your friends. It’s called America.
And guess what Mr. Reina- i would NOT pray at home if you permitted me to build a synagogue in my neighborhood. And don’t tell me how that will ruin the neighborhood – my neighborhood has rotten broken abandoned homes and farms that are eyesores and filled with junk and debris – those are the real eyesores.
So Mr. Prosecutor – you are want to stop the hate? You have the power to stop the discrimination – which is simply the application of hate to our lives.
What about the prosecution/ persecution by the AG’s office of Rabbi Eismannn? Who should we report that to?
Yes, but how does one report the persecution of Rabbi Osher Eizman by the Ocean County Prosecutor/ Is that not an example of the most extreme egregious case of bias?
Unlike many of my neighbors over the last 2+ years my family continues to be harrassed through targeted solicitations (phone calls/mailers/drive-by’s) implying it’s probably a good time for us to sell our home and move.
Despite numerous requests to stop, the harassment persists. Is this something I can report to the Ocean County Prosecutor?