NCJ Number
176798
Journal
Law Enforcement Technology Volume: 24 Issue: 9 Dated: September 1997 Pages: 58-60-62
Date Published
1997
Length
4 pages
Annotation
Asian crime poses unique challenges to law enforcement due to differences in culture, language, and perceptions.
Abstract
Asian criminal groups tend to stick to their own communities because they know community members will not report crimes to law enforcement. While some Asian criminal groups are affiliated with groups in their homeland, Asian youth gangs commit such crimes as purse snatching and home invasion on their own. Most Asian criminal groups are transient, use several different aliases, are insular and distrusting of outsiders, and can be extremely violent. Language is a barrier for law enforcement, and finding interpreters is a major challenge. Therefore, it is extremely important to have police officers who are bilingual and who are sensitive to cultural differences of communities. The Los Angeles Police Department has police substations located in major Asian communities, and police officers are responsible for setting up crime prevention meetings with the community and working with local businesses. Information and communication are key to successfully investigating Asian crime. 3 photographs