Our Anna Waugh is headed to Arlington this morning, where police reportedly will hold a press conference to announce they’ve identified five suspects in a string of 10 incidents of vandalism that occurred Sunday, June 10. As we’ve reported, the incidents included one in which the words “FAGGOT” and “QUEERS” were spray-painted on the SUV of a lesbian couple, which led Instant Tea to ask whether it was being treated as an anti-gay hate crime. Ten days later, the answer is yes, as police say they believe “that some victims were targeted based upon their sexual orientation and, as such, this incident will be reported on the Uniform Crime Report as a hate crime based upon prejudice and bias that we believe existed when the offenses were committed.” Tom Anable, president of the LGBT advocacy group Fairness Fort Worth, is also slated to speak at the presser. We’ll have a full report later, but for now here’s what APD is saying:
The Arlington Police Department was alerted to several graffiti offenses on Sunday, June 10, 2012, that targeted a West Arlington neighborhood. These offenses generated media attention and concerned law enforcement officials.
A press conference will be held Wednesday, June 20, 2012, at 10 a.m. at Arlington Police Headquarters at 620 W. Division Street in the Police Office of Communication. The conference will address the criminal episode that occurred along with investigative process which led to the identification of five suspects.
Acting Police Chief Will Johnson will speak about the police response to the hostile messages left in an Arlington neighborhood and describe how the investigation progressed so quickly, including the community outreach efforts that helped bring this investigation to its proper conclusion. The Arlington Police Department believes that some victims were targeted based upon their sexual orientation and, as such, this incident will be reported on the Uniform Crime Report as a hate crime based upon prejudice and bias that we believe existed when the offenses were committed.
The President of Fairness Fort Worth, Thomas R. Anable, will also be in attendance at the press conference to speak briefly about the dialogue that occurred between the Arlington Police Department and the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community.