Countywide : Gathering to Discuss S.E. Asians a First

In the first conference of its type in Orange County, law enforcement officers, government officials and civic leaders met Wednesday to discuss ways to overcome cultural obstacles faced by police when fighting crime in the county’s large Southeast Asian community.

Under the auspices of the Orange County Human Relations Commission and the U.S. Justice Department, more than 200 participants convened in a series of panel discussions at the Garden Grove Civic Center not far from Little Saigon, the largest Vietnamese business center in the nation.

“We need to make a beginning and bring together law enforcement and the Southeast Asian community. We hope this will provide a chance to identify problems and goals,” said Barbara Considine of the Human Relations Commission.

Orange County is home to about 130,000 Southeast Asian immigrants, mostly concentrated in Westminster and Garden Grove. Police departments in both cities have developed specialized units and educational programs to fight crime in Laotian, Vietnamese and Cambodian neighborhoods.

Considine said the conference’s recommendations to improve police relations in the Southeast Asian community will be formalized in a report by the U.S. Justice Department for national distribution.

For almost eight hours, panelists addressed a wide range of both cultural and criminal problems encountered by police. They cited increasing gang activity by Southeast Asians, drug use, auto theft rings and violent crime often perpetuated by highly mobile youths who flee to other parts of the country.

Asian crime experts said the gang situation is expected to worsen as the newest immigrants from Southeast Asia arrive in United States. About 1,000 a month settle in Orange County.

Unlike the educated and professional class that immigrated immediately after the Vietnam War, the latest arrivals are often poor, uneducated youths who do not have families--characteristics that make them particularly susceptible to gang recruitment.

Police said the immigrants are hampered by language barriers, ignorance of the court system and cultural differences. Police themselves have to deal with a lack of cooperation by Southeast Asian crime victims and difficulties recruiting Southeast Asians for police work.

Among other things, law enforcement officials said, Southeast Asians are hesitant to report crimes or cooperate with officers because of fear of retaliation and a traditional mistrust of police, who were often corrupt in their home countries.

To overcome the difficulties, panelists said, law enforcement must develop persistent public relations efforts and educational programs to develop trust in the Southeast Asian community. They highlighted the use of police substations, anonymous hotlines, bilingual programs, Asian advisory committees and special liaisons who keep in regular contact with business owners.

“You talk about public relations versus the law enforcement role, but you can’t do any enforcement until they trust you and report the crime,” Westminster Police Lt. Larry Woessner said.