Supervisors Ask Cities, County to Act on Asian Gang Problem
The County Board of Supervisors last week asked top county law-enforcement officers to meet with police chiefs in Gardena, Monterey Park and other cities to draw up a plan for a common attack on a growing Asian gang problem.
The motion on Tuesday, by Supervisor Kenneth Hahn, who represents Gardena, asks the sheriff, the chief probation officer and the director of county Youth Gang Services to meet with police chiefs from any local city with such a problem to develop an enforcement and education program.
It also asks that a plan be devised to recruit more police officers who speak Asian languages.
“We have a segment of the community that 10 years ago had very little crime associated with it, but it’s now burgeoning in some areas, and now is the time to respond,” said Hahn aide Dan Wolf.
Asian gangs often extort payments from Asian immigrant businessmen, who are reluctant to contact police because authorities in their native countries were corrupt, Wolf said.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
