High Profile Civil Rights Incident

A high-profile civil rights incident is any incident that meets both of the following criteria:

The incident may become an investigation or prosecution under a federal criminal

civil rights statute (for example, an officer-involved-shooting under 18 U.S.C. § 242, or the use or threat of force against a person seeking to provide or obtain reproductive health services or access a place of religious worship under 18 U.S.C. § 248, or a violent hate crime under 18 U.S.C. §§ 245, 247, or 249 or 42 U.S.C. § 3631); and

The incident has garnered significant public interest in the local or national community or has the potential to become a flashpoint or catalyst for tensions and concern among the community or subsets of the community (for example, through public demonstrations, unrest, or riots).

In these cases, the Criminal Section in the Civil Rights Division should be contacted immediately for additional guidance and an urgent report filed as required by

JM 1-13.130

.

[added December 2022]