ND Legislature considers bill addressing bias crimes

BISMARCK, N.D. (KFYR) - Lawmakers in Bismarck are considering a bill relating to hate crimes.

House Bill 1537 would define “bias crimes” in the North Dakota Century Code and would collect information on them and the groups or individuals who commit those offenses. It would also require police officers, sheriffs, state troopers, and others to receive special training about how to respond to bias crimes.

”We could provide the curriculum, we could create the course, which is already created because I teach it in the academy already, and we can provide that to all the agencies in the state, with the mandate that they themselves presented to their officers,” said Lieutenant Daniel Haugen, chairman of the Peace Officers Standards and Training Board.

According to the bill sponsor, Representative Mary Schneider of Fargo, North Dakota is one of only five states that doesn’t have laws on the books specifically relating to hate crimes.

Copyright 2023 KFYR. All rights reserved.