Hate crimes dropped 17 percent in Los Angeles County in 2013, the lowest level in 24 years, according to a report from the county's human relations commission.
The number of hate crimes reported dropped from 462 in 2012 to 384 last year, the report said. Hate crimes in LA County have steadily dropped from a high of 1,031 in 2001.
Some 56 percent of the hate crimes reported were race related. African Americans were targeted 64 percent of the time, while 25 percent were based on sexual orientation.
"The continued decline in the number of hate crimes should not lull us into complacency," commission President Susanne Cumming said. "We know that the under-reporting of hate crimes remains a serious problem."
The three most targeted races were African Americans, followed by Latinos, Jews, and gays and lesbians.
The most hate crimes were reported in the San Fernando Valley. But the highest rate by population was reported in the Antelope Valley, followed by metro LA, from West Hollywood to Boyle Heights.
Sheriff John L. Scott attributes the drop to a "strong working relationship between law enforcement, educators and a broad array of dedicated community-based organizations throughout LA County."
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While pleased to see a decline, Amanda Susskind, the regional director of the Pacific Southwest Region of the Anti-Defamation League, said in a press release that "it remains troubling that year after year the overwhelming majority of hate crimes motivated by religion in Los Angeles County, statewide and across the country is against Jews and Jewish institutions.
"And unfortunately, a particularly disturbing statistic in this County report notes that 12 of the 42 hate crimes reported against Jews were violent in nature."
City News Service contributed to this report.
