Giving Back : As a female Asian American, a veteran reserve police officer says she brings a unique perspective to the LAPD. Getting the chance to make a difference on the streets is her greatest reward.

I’ve been helped by community groups, and I wanted to give some of that back. When I was in high school I was selected by the school district to represent Los Angeles in the sister city program with Nagoya, Japan. That was a three-week fully paid scholarship to Japan to serve as a student ambassador. That’s not the sort of opportunity that comes along all the time.

So now I really want to make a difference. There are two things I find really important for a city, and that’s education and law enforcement. So I found time and avenues to do volunteer work for both of these areas.

In the police reserve program I know that I’m able to make a difference working with people on a one-to-one basis. I consider myself a communicator. That’s what being a police officer is about: communication.

Being female and being Asian American, I bring a unique perspective.

The department is very diversified, but it doesn’t have a lot of resources in some areas. There are a few LAPD officers who know Japanese, but I don’t think any of them are females who are Asian. I was told that if I did not work on the pandering case, we probably would not be able to pursue it.

I had some anxiety ahead of time, but once I sat there with the suspect it was acting time and I played that role. I dressed like I do for work, and he told me to wear something a little more flashy and more makeup. I met with him twice. He was trying to figure out where I was coming from. The way the Japanese communicate, they don’t get right to the point. They like to chitchat. He asked me what I did. At the time I was shopping for insurance for my firm and I told him I was in insurance.

I had to testify at the preliminary hearing. That case was my second time working undercover with the Asian Crime Investigation Section.

The other one involved an art forgery ring that was selling to Japanese businessmen. That was in ’88 or ’89.

I portrayed the secretary of a Japanese businessman. The man who portrayed the businessman was the same reserve officer who worked as a customer in the pandering case. In the art forgery case, another LAPD officer portrayed an interpreter.

We were in one of the hotels and pretended that we were just traveling through and were ready to make a purchase. They brought the art pieces with them and said they were authentic and if we would wire millions of dollars into their account, we could have the art right there. I wasn’t nervous. It was carefully planned and there were officers in a room next to us.

Every day I work it’s different. One thing I do is help teach human relations classes at the Police Academy. The purpose is to familiarize the recruits on who the Asian Americans are, what their attitudes are toward police officers, what to expect.

For instance, normally if I’m talking to you and I’m not looking you in the eye, you might think I’m lying to you. But for Asians it could be a sign of respect, because it’s considered very challenging and aggressive to look someone in the eye.

I enjoy patrol and the foot beats the most, being out there with the people. I feel like I can do some good in Little Tokyo, where some of the merchants don’t speak English and might be suspicious of the police. Sometimes I speak to Asian groups about crime and law enforcement.

I make at least one arrest every time I’m out. Maybe it’s arresting someone who has a warrant out. The crimes can range from robbery to breaking into cars.

I think being female and short helps me because I appear to be non-threatening. It has a calming effect.

I remember once on Broadway we got a call that a man was tearing up a shoe store and that the store employees had him in custody. My partner and I got there and I could tell the man was scared. He was a big guy and these two employees had a hold of him.

So I went up to him and said, “If I tell them to let you go, will you be nice to me?” And he said “OK.” It was just a matter of talking to him in a way he understood and I had no problems after that.

I really think that people should look at becoming a reserve officer. It’s very rewarding and it will help the community and it will open your eyes. People say, “Where’s a cop when you need one?” Well, why don’t they volunteer?