Ellie Campbell, community outreach program and victim advocate at the Marion County Prosecutor's Office, asked neighborhood residents to report suspected hate crimes to police and described a prosecutor-run voicemail hotline that staff will check and return within business days.

Campbell said Indiana treats bias as a sentencing aggravator rather than a separate criminal charge and urged victims to make the bias element explicit when they first speak to law enforcement. "If we take away nothing else from this presentation ... if you believe you've been the victim of a hate crime and you're reporting that to police, please clearly state that to them," Campbell said.

The Prosecutor's Office has a dedicated voicemail line for bias incidents and hate-crime reports: (317) 327-5314. Campbell described how the line works: callers leave a message and a trained advocate (she said she checks the mailbox each weekday) will return the call, usually within three business days. She emphasized that the line is non-emergency; people in immediate danger should call 911.

Campbell described other office efforts aimed at vulnerable residents. The office's "blue envelope" program lets people with disabilities or communication needs carry a prefilled folder with identification and guidance for officers; Campbell said "We had over 300 plus people, request an envelope in the first week." The office is still taking requests and is working to mail the packets to applicants.

She also noted outreach and youth work including a free soccer clinic on June 5 for ages 8–12 and the office's 2024 annual report, which is available on the Marion County Prosecutor's Office page of indy.gov. Campbell said the office does not ask for callers' immigration status and that language-interpretation support is available when needed.

Campbell explained Indiana's statutory approach and reporting gaps. She said the state law added a hate-crime definition in 2019 but treats bias as an aggravator after a base offense is proved — "you can't be charged specifically with a hate crime." She also cited state reporting data: the Indiana State Police bias-incident reporting system logged 215 incidents from 64 reporting agencies in 2022, and Campbell said Marion County recorded only five bias-related reports that year — a number she described as inconsistent with what the prosecutor's office sees in calls and outreach.

Campbell urged people who suspect bias-motivated crimes to do three things: report the incident to police, explicitly note that they believe bias was a motivating factor, and call the prosecutor's hotline or victim advocate for assistance. She described typical next steps when a report reaches the prosecutor's office — depositions, plea negotiations or trial — and said that filing a report does not automatically mean a victim will later be required to testify in open court; many cases resolve before trial. She also described victim-advocate services that can help with referrals for counseling, housing, or protective orders.

During a question-and-answer period, residents asked about alternatives to in-person police reporting and whether non-emergency telephone reports are accepted; Campbell said many agencies accept reports by non-emergency phone lines and that the prosecutor's office can follow up. She also said callers who leave messages in other languages will be contacted using the office language line.

Campbell left printed flyers and business cards at the meeting. The prosecutor's office hotline number for bias incidents and hate-crime outreach is (317) 327-5314.