SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) -- Regional leaders across San Diego County have announced a boost to the Hate Crime Fund to help make an arrest in the unsolved hate crimes in the region. Tips that lead to an arrest in felony hate crime cases could garner a $2,000 reward, as part of a renewed push to solve hate crimes as the number of cases rise in the region. "Together we are taking a stand against hate," SDPD Chief Scott Wahl said. A firm stance, signifying that hate has no place in San Diego. Leaders made the reward announcement Monday, while Wahl also announced a new dedicated San Diego Police Department Unit to fight hate crime. Reward offered after Hillcrest hit by suspected hate crimes "These tools will not only help us solve hate crimes, but also deter them in a real way. We have more money, we have better technology today and we have stronger collaboration and more resources," Chief Wahl said. The city and county have seen an increase in hate crimes. A recent report from SANDAG shows hate crimes rose 39 percent locally in 2023. “This isn’t just about statistics, these are real people, real families who are being hurt and our communities must stand united as we act," San Diego County Board of Supervisors Chair Nora Vargas said. “Seven additional crimes targeted the LGBTQ+ community, and that is a substantial increase that we have not seen before," District Attorney Summer Stephan said. Her office prosecuted 30 hate crime cases last year. Hillcrest hit by series of suspected hate crimes Stephan said one of the hate crimes with the most damage happened in Hillcrest in May, when an employee was hit in the eye with a gel pellet from a gel-pellet style gun, fired seemingly as someone was driving by. Two employees were hit, and one underwent surgery for the attack to his eye. Information that leads to an arrest in this apparent anti-LGBTQ+ hate crime is now eligible for a $2,000 reward. “I heard like a pellet hit the window next to me," said Nick Stovel, who was a victim of a similar attack while grabbing dinner in Hillcrest over the summer, just shortly after the attack at Rich's Nightclub. “I looked down and there was like a rubber bullet thing rolling on the ground, and was like... 'we just kind of got shot at.'" Stovel said he hopes the increased reward amount will lead to an arrest and help curb hate in the community. “No community in San Diego County should be subjected to hate, whether it's targeting someone for the color of their skin, the religion they believe in or the person they decide to love," Chief Wahl added. Teen arrested in hate crime vandalism at Chula Vista elementary school Monday's announcement also comes exactly one year since the deadly Hamas Attack on Israel, which has led to an increase in anti-Semitic attacks across the nation and in San Diego. “This is a day as well that is reflection of how antisemitism has been on the rise in the United States and in San Diego," Fabienne Perlov with Anti Defamation League San Diego said. She said in one year they saw a 200 percent increase in anti-Semitic incidents. “It doesn’t end with the Jews, when one community is attacked, all communities feel unsafe,"Perlov added. To send an anonymous tip, visit sdcrimestoppers.org.