Anne Arundel County to launch hate-crime prevention program

Anne Arundel County just got a $1.2 million grant to work on preventing hate crimes, among other hate-crime-related initiatives.

The county is hiring Nicola "Dr. Nikki" Smith-Kea to oversee a Hate Crime Prevention Program, announced County Executive Steuart Pittman Monday.

Anne Arundel is the only county in Maryland to get this year's grant.

The county had the most reported hate-bias incidents in Maryland, according to a local forum on the issue in 2020, noted Pittman in a press release.

RELATED: Forum on hate crimes draws dozens in Anne Arundel County

Most recently, in June, the Push'N Pedals cycling club (which is mostly Black) was attacked and harassed in Annapolis by people yelling racial slurs and throwing rocks .

A road-rage assault was also investigated in June in Brooklyn Park, and a Glen Burnie church was vandalized in April .

Last year, a deadly mass shooting at an Annapolis home was charged as a hate crime .

The new hate-crime program will include getting high-tech new surveillance equipment (like infrared cameras) to capture incidents that happen at night , and making hate-crime information materials in English, Spanish and Korean - as well as more police staffing for community outreach and training leaders on hate crime investigation strategies.

Smith-Kea, the new project manager, has been a criminal justice manager who worked with Philadelphia Police Department and the Arnold Ventures Policing team.

Pittman said Smith-Kea will "help us move this work to the next level."