An Exchange of E-Mails Between members of the Commission on Asian & Pacific Islander Affairs and Metropolitan Police Department Chief Cathy L. Lanier

From: Wylie Chen 
Sent: Wednesday, January 23, 2013 7:42 PM
To: Lanier, Cathy (MPD)
Cc:David Chung; Richard Chiang; Chris Y. Chan; Martha Watanabe; Koo, Soohyun (EOM); Lawrence Liu; Groomes, Diane (MPD); Quander, Paul (EOM)
Subject: Asian Liaison Unit Relocation

January 23, 2013

Dear Chief Lanier:

As members of the Commission on Asian Pacific Islander Affairs, we write to express our concern over the Metropolitan Police Department’s plans for the Asian Liaison Unit’s office at 616 H Street. We strongly support the MPD’s creation of specialized units that deal with the unique needs of our city’s diverse communities, including the Asian American population and our fellow gay, lesbian, and Latino citizens.
We are concerned, however, that the Asian American community is not being treated fairly or equally in this instance.

Over the past two weeks, the Commission has visited the offices of the Gay and Lesbian Liaison Unit (GLLU) in Dupont Circle and the Latino Liaison Unit (LLU) in Adams Morgan. We understand that while these are not full-service stations and that the officers are expected to spend most of their time on the street, the actual physical locations of the GLLU and LLU remain active spaces and continue to serve an important function.

On our visits to the GLLU and LLU we found desks with computers, open house sign-in sheets, flags hanging from the ceilings, and educational brochures and community outreach photos adorning the walls. We learned that the office for the Latino Liaison Unit sees as many as a dozen walk-ins a day and that due to cultural, language, and other barriers some Latino residents view the physical location as a safe and preferred space to report crime. We learned that the offices include bathrooms and additional meeting rooms and that parking spaces are available for officers at the LLU. Based on our understanding, there is no plan to close the offices or move officers serving these units completely to the street. In short, the MPD appears to have struck a reasonable balance between maintaining the important fixed location that is preferred by some residents and ensuring officers spend most of their time on the street.

Therefore it is difficult to understand the decision to shut down the ALU’s office in the heart of Chinatown. Only after the Asian American community voiced its opposition to the move did you agree to delay returning the property to Gallery Place management until a smaller alternative space staffed by a civilian police representative can be found.

Our concerns are two-fold:

1. Why was the Asian Liaison Unit initially targeted for
elimination of its physical space, while other units apparently were not?

2. Why weren’t sufficient staffing and resources made available
to the ALU’s office, as appears to be the case for the GLLU and LLU, and why can’t such staffing and resources be made available now at 616 H Street?

Based on the information we have obtained, we strongly believe the Asian Liaison Unit should be maintained at its current location at 616 H Street.

While we were extremely disappointed that the Asian American community was not consulted regarding the initial decision to close the ALU’s Chinatown office, we have appreciated your outreach since then. We have been actively engaged in this issue including participating in the December 5 and January 8 community forums. We look forward to your response to the concerns raised in this letter and to continuing our constructive dialogue on this important issue.

Sincerely,

DC Commission on Asian and Pacific Islander Affairs

Christopher Chan
Wylie Chen
Richard Chiang
David Chung
Lawrence Liu
John Tinpe
Martha Watanabe

——————————————————————————————————————————————–

From: “Lanier, Cathy (MPD)
Date: January 25, 2013, 12:03:37 PM EST
To: Wylie Chen
Cc: David Chung, Richard Chiang, “Chris Y. Chan, Martha Watanabe “Koo, Soohyun (EOM), Lawrence Liu < >, “Groomes, Diane (MPD), “Quander, Paul (EOM)
Subject: RE: Asian Liaison Unit Relocation

I assure you that the physical location of the Asian Liaison Unit was not targeted for elimination as indicated in your letter. As previously stated at two community meetings that were held on December 5, 2012, and January 8, 2013, the management of Gallery Place informed us that they would like to rent the space to a prospective client. The Metropolitan Police Department has been working diligently to find an alternative space that allows us to continue to provide important police services to the Asian community throughout the city.

I have made a commitment to the Asian community to provide quality police services that is centered on the needs of the community. To that end, I have also approved a vacancy announcement for a Community Outreach Specialist, whose role will be to work closely with the Asian community to foster effective partnerships and coordinate outreach initiatives. This valuable resource position will be unique to the Asian Liaison Unit. Lastly, it is important to note that the Asian Liaison Unit is comprised of the same number of members as the other liaison units. Each of the liaison units is comprised of five members (with the exception of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Unit which is comprised of two members). Moreover, I have equipped each member of the Asian Liaison Unit with the comprehensive training and technological resources needed to provide critical services out in the communities in which they serve. We have dedicated the same resources, equipment, and technological tools to the members of the Asian Liaison Unit as we have to the other liaison units.

Ultimately, our goal is to make officers, no matter the liaison unit to which they are assigned, more accessible to the broader community at large. While members of the units may occasionally schedule appointments, meetings, or other activities at their respective office locations, none of the locations are staffed full-time and the officers are out providing police services in the community at all other times. Our services are grounded in community policing principles, and I think you would agree that our officers do their most important work out in the field, building relationships, conducting outreach, and providing high quality police service to the members of the community. I assure you that the dedicated members of the Asian Liaison Unit will continue to do this important work.