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Crime and the Asian American Community: The Los Angeles Response to Koreatown

NCJ Number
109834
Journal
Journal of California Law Enforcement Volume: 19 Issue: 2 Dated: (1985) Pages: 52-60
Author(s)
J Chin
Date Published
1985
Length
9 pages
Annotation
After reviewing crime patterns in the Los Angeles Korean community (Koreatown), this article describes the effort to increase the police presence in the community through a storefront police facility.
Abstract
A 1981 study indicated that Koreatown was riddled with crime, much of it based in a crime syndicate. A Federal task force has been appointed to investigate allegations of organized crime in Koreatown, and the county district attorney's office has assigned three prosecutors from the Organized Crime and Narcotics Division to focus on Korean crime cases. The Los Angeles Police Department has responded by establishing the Koreatown Police Community Center in the heart of the community. The primary functions of this storefront are to establish a police presence in the community and to make the police accessible for reporting crime and providing information to residents on crime prevention. The storefront has apparently increased crime reporting and enhanced resident confidence in police intentions to address crime in the community. 27-item bibliography and samples of crime prevention materials in the Korean language distributed to residents.