Local Law Enforcement Enhancement Act of 2001

The Local Law Enforcement Enhancement Act of 2001 was designed to expand the federal government’s role in investigating and prosecuting hate crimes. It would have authorized the Department of Justice to provide technical assistance, forensic resources, and financial grants to state, local, and tribal law enforcement agencies for crimes motivated by a victim’s actual or perceived race, color, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, or disability.

For citizens, the bill aimed to increase legal protections by making it a federal crime to cause bodily injury based on these characteristics and by providing rural or underfunded jurisdictions with the resources necessary to handle complex hate crime investigations. Additionally, the bill sought to improve public data collection on hate crimes and established specific grants focused on preventing such crimes among juveniles. Although the bill saw significant legislative activity in the Senate, it was ultimately returned to the calendar and did not become law.