NORTHAMPTON — Reflecting on the recent election, Police Chief Jody Kasper posted a note on the department’s Facebook page Monday afternoon.
Kasper wrote that the country is going through “a difficult and divisive time,” which may have left many residents and visitors to the community feeling uneasy.
“There have been incidents nationwide involving vandalism, harassment, and physical assaults spurred by discrimination and hate,” Kasper wrote.
“I’m writing to you now to assure you that your police department stands with you and will not tolerate hateful acts in our community. We understand that a single event fueled by discrimination and hate impacts not only the direct victim but many others who feel threatened and who fear for their personal safety.”
Kasper said Tuesday morning there have been two recent election-related incidents, including one at Wal-Mart in which a 51-year-old man, distraught over Trump’s election, allegedly hit another man in the back of the head.
“Two is a low number but it is an increase for us,” she said.
In the post, Kasper also highlights two state laws related to hate crimes.
“Our officers do an exceptional job serving this community and I am incredibly proud of the hard work that we do in these increasingly challenging times,” Kasper wrote. “We will continue to protect and serve each of you guided by our mission …”
Overall, Kasper said, the response to her post has been positive. While on Main Street Monday, the day the post went online, Kasper said some city residents stopped to talk to her about the post and thank her.
In less than a day, the post had been shared over 150 times and “liked” or “loved” 427 times. Only two of the more than 50 comments are overtly negative. The full text of the post, as well as reactions from community members, can be found on the Northampton Police Department’s Facebook page.
Kasper’s post was made the same day the FBI released its annual hate crime statistics. The bureau reported that in 2015 there were 5,818 single-bias incidents involving 7,121 victims. The statistics are not necessarily complete because reporting differs from department to department.
The vast majority of those victims, 59.2 percent, were targeted because of a racial, ethnic or ancestry bias, according to the report. Hate crimes due to religious bias accounted for 19.7 percent of incidents reported, while 17.7 percent were because of a sexual orientation bias.
Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey also announced Monday a new hotline to report harassment and intimidation of minority groups. Healey posted information about the hotline, as well as its number 1-800-994-3228, to Twitter.
Other departments in the county have been less explicit and those surveyed didn’t see an increase in calls since the election.
Easthampton Police Capt. Robert J. Alberti said the department hasn’t received complaints or concerns about possible hate crimes following the election.
Alberti did note that recent graffiti on Mount Tom was actually in Holyoke but the incident was referred to the Massachusetts Environmental Police.
“I would encourage anyone aware of any hate crime to contact the police department — either as a witness or a victim. It’s always been our druthers, anyway,” Alberti said. “See something, say something, and report it so we can investigate it.”
Alberti said the department would do its due diligence to provide peace and tranquility throughout the community.
South Hadley Police have also not received any calls reporting hate crime, according to Chief Steve Parentela.
He said the department wasn’t doing anything proactive on the issue but noted that officer were out constantly making contact with the public.
In Amherst, Police Chief Scott Livingstone said in an email that there have been no specific incidents of harassment or reports of crimes related to the recent election .
“All of our protest(s) to date have been respectful, on both sides,” Livingstone wrote. “Energetic, but respectful.”
By phone, Livingstone expressed support for Kasper’s statement.
“It is a good statement, one I completely support,” he said. “Our communities are very similar in many aspects.”
He added that there has been an uptick in incidents nationwide, even before the election, but “fortunately not so much in Amherst.”
“We really don’t have the controversy, not that we couldn’t, but we certainly haven’t seen any of the harassment or vandalism specific to this election or any election in the past that I can recall,” Livingstone said.
Emily Cutts can be reached at ecutts@gazettenet.com