Officials hope that a new initiative in Orange County will help combat what they say is a rising trend of bias and hate crimes.

Orange County District Attorney Dave Hoovler’s office is pairing with the Orange County Jewish Federation to create a two-part initiative to combat bias crime and promote diversity - starting with raising awareness in schools.

The initiative also assigns a special prosecutor to these types of cases and includes special training for law enforcement on how to investigate and prosecute bias crimes.

Hoovler says they plan to roll out the initiative in the fall.

The total cost is about $10,000. It was funded by the Jewish Federation and the county.

The Jewish Federation of Orange County has said, "Acts of racism undermine our sense of shared national identity, making people feel inferior, vulnerable and under attack."