Ep. 19 With the dramatic increase in attacks on Asian Americans, I turn to Det. Beth Wareing who investigates bias and hate crimes for the Seattle Police Department. I ask: What is a hate crime? How is it investigated? What are the challenges?  We discuss not only the increase in hate crimes against Asian Americans, but also in other categories like homeless, Black and Brown, and LGBTQ communities. This is not an interview about statistics. This is about people – the people who suffer these assaults – and the people who are committed to investigating them. Det. Wareing reinforces the importance of patrol and their ability to respond quickly when an assault has happened. She shares her concern over officer wellness in these trying times. We talk about why she became a police officer, what the rewards are, and her vision for what the future of law enforcement will look like.

©Abby Ellsworth Productions.  All interviews, editing, production by Abby Ellsworth. Contact me at abby@ellsworthproductions.com if you'd like to be on the podcast or to share your thoughts.  Please subscribe/follow on your favorite podcast platform and feel free to leave a review.  You can find me on Facebook OnBeingaPoliceOfficer, Twitter @AbbyEllsworth13 and Instagram on_being_a_police_officer. Music courtesy of freesound.org. Thanks for listening.