By MARTHA V. SCANLON
When a hate crime occurs in Falmouth, George R. Spivey, Falmouth equity/affirmative action officer, wants to make sure that the police are not the only ones who know about it.
Though the town does not often have hate crimes, “when we do have one, there should be a plan of action,” said Mr. Spivey, who is also chairman of the Falmouth No Place For Hate committee.
Mr. Spivey is working with Falmouth Police Chief Anthony J. Riello to develop a coordinated response involving not only the police department and No Place For Hate committee, but also the school department, board of selectmen, fire rescue, and local clergy, using a “calling tree” similar to what is used to alert parents of school closings.
During his 10 years as police chief in Pittsfield, Chief Riello helped found that town’s No Place For Hate group.
Mr. Spivey and Chief Riello met last Thursday to further discuss the issue and decided to consider using a response plan developed by the No Place For Hate group in Milton. They will discuss the matter further during next month’s No Place For Hate meeting on September 2.
Both men agree that open communication is key in responding to hate crimes.
“It’s good for the community to know what’s going on,” Mr. Spivey said. “Without awareness, there is no response.”
By including residents of the neighborhood where the crime occurs, police can garner additional information about incidents, Chief Riello said. “If we’re working on something, we want to let them know,” he said. “We want to get the message out there.”
Open communication also allows police to provide correct information to the community before “people start talking and misinformation gets passed along,” Chief Riello said.
He said that currently the department’s detectives notify him when a hate crime has been reported.
But identifying a hate crime, Chief Riello said, is not always as simple as it seems.
“Just because something appears to be a hate crime, it may not be once it is investigated, and vice versa,” he said.
In June, swastikas were spray painted on several homes and cars in Hatchville, and last August, multiple cars in the driveway of an East Falmouth home had swastikas spray painted on them. None of the victims were Jewish, so police said that they did not believe the acts of vandalism to be hate crimes, however, they did investigate.
The Hatchville case remains open.
Even when crimes are not defined as hate crimes, Chief Riello said that it is still important to teach vandals about the seriousness of certain symbols and words. “It’s a serious, serious thing,” he said, adding that it is necessary to let community members know that hate crimes are taken seriously and not tolerated.
“We want to make sure when something does happen, regardless of the nature, that we’re able to mobilize as a group,” he said.
In 1999, an action group was formed after a Woods Hole family of Jewish heritage was the target of several hate crimes. That group successfully appealed to selectmen to pass a resolution stating that the town “will not tolerate by silence, inaction, indifference, or in any other way, hate crimes of any kind.”
Falmouth has since become a No Place For Hate community, and in 2004, when swastikas were found spray painted on the sign for the Falmouth Jewish Congregation, six police officers responded and both Mr. Spivey and Rabbi Elias J. Lieberman were alerted directly and quickly by police.
A 19-year-old Sandwich Road man, who lived approximately 1/4 mile from the synagogue, was arrested for the crime within 30 hours of its being reported.
That incident was an example of a swift and coordinated response, Mr. Spivey said. “The immediate type of reaction, that’s what we’re looking for,” he said.
Mr. Spivey added that sometimes combating hate crimes requires a “proactive approach.” In July, No Place for Hate sponsored an event at Waquoit Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve to show solidarity with Falmouth’s immigrant populations. Events like that, he said, help people to know that there are resources available while building residents’ awareness.