NCJ Number
196920
Journal
Crime & Justice International Volume: 18 Issue: 64 Dated: July/August 2002 Pages: 5-6
Date Published
July 2002
Length
2 pages
Annotation
This article discusses impact of the Korean Community Police Academy on the relations between the Los Angeles Police Department and the Korean Community in Los Angeles.
Abstract
The author begins this article by explaining how the relations between the LAPD and the Korean Community in Los Angeles became strained in the face of rising crime targeted specifically at the Korean community. These strained relations grew even more tense due to the 1992 riot following the acquittal of four LAPD officers in the Rodney King trial. During this riot, numerous Korean-owned businesses were attacked and many Koreans were injured. As a result, members of the Korean community perceived that the LAPD was not doing enough to protect them, thus widening the gap between the community and the police department. In response, the LAPD began conducting the Korean Community Police Academy in 1999. This Academy offers its students an orientation in the functions of the LAPD and its officers. Students learn about the history of the LAPD, its Asian Crime Investigation Section, its Patrol Operations, as well as many other areas of police function. Its students participate in a graduation ceremony and receive diplomas signed by the chief of police. Graduates are encouraged to continue their relations with the LAPD as volunteers, service officers, and community police advisory board members. The author explains that the Korean Community Police Academy has been considered a success in forging new and improved relations with the Korean community in Los Angeles