Montgomery County leaders announce $1.2M grant to combat hate crimes
MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Md. () — The Montgomery County executive and councilmembers announced Friday $1.2 million in grant funds to help non-profit and faith-based organizations enhance security and prevent hate crimes.
Officials said the grants are designed for local nonprofit or faith-based organizations across the county whose facilities experience or are at risk of experiencing hate crimes.
The funding is designed to help reduce the burden of safety and security enhancements, and recipients can use the money to:
Hire security personnel or augment current security personnel
Pay for a security assessment or plan
Conduct security training
Develop and execute a security drill
Purchase new security cameras for their facility
New this year – funds can be used to purchase a fususCORE device to enable
Montgomery County leaders noted that the grants come after the county committed to protecting eligible organizations in September 2024.
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'Hate has no place in Montgomery County, and it's our job to make sure that everyone—regardless of their race, religion or background—feels safe in their community,' said County Executive Elrich.
Officials said this is the second year the county has awarded $1.2 million in funds to help protect nonprofit or faith-based organizations.
'We cannot allow our places of worship, nonprofit centers and community hubs to become places of fear. It's our responsibility to do all we can to protect our nonprofit and faith partners from acts of hate and violence. This more than $1 million in funding for security grants is one way we can bolster protection for the community organizations that do so much to uplift residents and provide essential services for our wonderfully diverse community,' said Council President Stewart.
Statistics from the Montgomery County Department of Police's revealed that 45% of the bias incidents reported involved some type of verbal intimidation, 11% involved written intimidation and 11% involved simple assault.
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The report noted that three out of four of the 192 bias incidents reported were related to religion or race. Out of 94 incidents, most were anti-Jewish in nature, and 53 of them involved 'anti-Israel/pro-Palestine language or imagery.'
Additionally, 49 incidents across the county were related to race, with about half using racial slurs.
'Montgomery County prides itself on its diversity and protecting our local nonprofits and religious institutions, which are too often targets of hate and bias-related incidents,' said Luke Hodgson, director of the Office Emergency Management and Homeland Security (OEMHS). 'This grant continues to protect against actions that are antithetical to Montgomery County values. We are hopeful that the expansion to include participation in MoCoConnect program will help promote an increased level of security.'
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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