To the Editor:

"Enter the Thought Police" minimizes the impact of hate vandalism and the value of hate-crime laws and is wrong to name the prosecutors as "thought police" (editorial, Aug 1).

Hate crime laws, now on the books in 45 states and the District of Columbia, do not punish biased thoughts.  Americans are free to think and believe whatever they want. It is their behavior that is the subject of criminal sanctions.  When an individual commits a crime based on biased beliefs and intentionally targets another for violence or vandalism, a hate crime statute is triggered. The Supreme Court unanimously upheld hate crime laws against a First Amendment challenge in 1993. 
  
In the case cited charging the perpetrator with a hate crime for stealing the Koran and flushing it down the toilet, the prosecutors acted reasonably.  At trial, to obtain a conviction, they will have to prove he acted out of bias against Muslims.
 
Hate crimes send a message to the targeted community that "You're not wanted here."  Hate crime laws demonstrate our civil society's commitment that such bias-motivated criminal conduct is unacceptable.