Utah is a rural state with a smaller population, mostly white, and a majority that belongs to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Because of that, it has a squeaky clean reputation, and may seem to be an unlikely place for hate crimes, Salt Lake City-based FBI agent Michelle Pickens has said.
“I don’t want people to think we’re immune. ... We have those crimes here, and we take them just as seriously here as we do anywhere else,” Pickens said.
There is no reliable federal data documenting hate crimes, and no government agency keeps track of lower-level harassment and intimidation.