APD Safe Place

Reporting Hate Crimes

The City of Austin is a diverse and multicultural city. As such, we believe diversity must be protected in every way, including preventing and responding to hate crimes and incidents. Learn why reporting hate/bias crimes is important and the different ways to do so. 

— Learn about and report hate crimes here.

How Businesses can Participate

APD Safe Place is an initiative designed to assist the victims of hate crimes and encourage the reporting of these crimes. 

— Learn more about how your small business can get involved in the APD Safe Place program and support its efforts.

About APD Safe Place

The Seattle Police Department created Safe Place to address low reporting of anti-LGBTQ+ crimes. The goal is to increase public trust in law enforcement and feelings of safety in the community. The program expanded in 2018 to include anyone who has been a victim of a bias crime.

APD Safe Place is a unique partnership with the business community that serves a critical role in assisting the victims of these crimes. Businesses that participate place an easily recognizable decal at their entrances. This symbol is a signal for victims of hate crimes and bias incidents that this location has partnered with the police, will call 911 on their behalf and will allow them a safe place to stay on the premises until the police arrive.   

• Over 200 police agencies throughout the US and Canada are actively working with the Seattle Police Department to initiate Safe Place in their communities.  

About the Decal

The Safe Place decal is meant to convey inclusion and intersectionality with any and all individuals, regardless of their race, political beliefs, nationality, age, gender, sexual orientation and/or identification, or any other differences, either actual or perceived.

— Learn more about the Safe Place decal and understand the symbolism, application instructions, and usage guidelines.