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By Susan R. Paisner
Photo Credit: Susan Paisner
Officer Brian Pak takes his duties very seriously. In one case, after he helped an elderly woman who had been in a minor traffic accident he followed up over the course of several weeks by calling her, even stopping by her home, to ensure she was all right. She called him to say how appreciative she was of his efforts.
“To me,” he said, “it was my duty – a simple thing, to make sure the citizens are safe.”
Born and raised in Korea, police officer Brian Pak came to the U.S. just after high school. Because he couldn’t afford college, he went into the Army. After that, through the GI Bill, he studied engineering at the City College of New York.
“I had an interest in law enforcement when I was in college, but I couldn’t fulfill my dream. My parents were very traditional: ‘Go to college, get a job, be a corporate guy,’”Pak said.
He applied for the FBI soon after and passed the initial screening. “But my parents discouraged me,” he said, “so I got a job with Samsung electronics in sales.
He spent 14 years with Samsung, picking up an MBA along the way.
In the meantime, he traveled. By his estimation, he has been to more than 50 countries, including Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Poland, Kenya, Finland, and of course, Korea. He said he has been to so many countries that he ran out of room on his police department application where they asked about travel.
But he soon grew tired of traveling. “One day I woke up and both of my children were taller than me.”
He began working out through kendo (a martial art similar to fencing) with Fairfax County Recruiting Detective Roy Choe – who encouraged him to apply to the department.
“One day Roy said to me: ‘I think you could be a good police officer.’ I said – no, I’m too old. And he said: ‘All you have to do is meet the physical requirements and pass the tests. We don’t have an age limit.’”
Pak was 49 at that point. “I felt that money is not everything – I wanted to do something different. And I wanted to stay with my family.”
It took him close to a year to complete all the tests because his travel schedule keep getting in the way of the testing schedules.
“I’m glad I followed my dream,” he said. “It’s different from being in a small office, going through PowerPoint slides, generating sales strategies. Now I’m dealing with citizens daily – I can use my people skills all the time and also my experience gained from traveling to different countries.”
Since Fairfax County is such an ethnically diverse community, Pak has found that just his knowing a few phrases in a different language will encourage people to put their guard down.
But still he has noticed that the Asian/Pacific Islander community is reluctant to ask for help from law enforcement. He attributes this to their experience with police in their own countries. In Korea, for example, he said that corruption and suppression defines many police departments. He then spoke about a case here he was called to translate for where the victims, who were illegal aliens, didn’t report multiple larcenies because they feared deportation. Pak reassured them that he was not interested in collecting immigration status information.
After his two years of experience in the police force Pak said that a strong family is crucial to crime prevention. “The root of domestic violence or juvenile crime is going to be the family problem – there are no family ties. No love, no concern, no care for each other – it’s quite eye opening,” he said.
“My thinking has changed,” he said. “Anybody is capable of crime. Their education, their background – it doesn’t matter.”
He stressed repeatedly how important it was for parents to educate their children “to be better humans, and to be kind. It’s not just about doing well in school, going to a prestigious college.”
To AAPI individuals thinking about a career in law enforcement, he said: “Look at me. If I did it, anybody can.” He added that in America, police receive respect from citizens. “Even children, when they see you, want to shake your hands, give high fives.”
“Working here,” he said, “is quite rewarding.”
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Asian Fortune is an English language newspaper for Asian American professionals in the Washington, DC metropolitan area. Visit fb.com/asianfortune to stay up to date with our news and what’s going on in the Asian American community.
SIDEBAR
Make policing your career!
As the AAPI communities in Northern Virginia continue to grow, the need for AAPI police officers grows with them.
Diversity is the watchword for the Fairfax County Police Department. They maintain a Language Skills Support Unit, so when a call comes for a Korean, Vietnamese, or Spanish-speaking officer to translate, someone is dispatched.
Recruiting Detective Roy Choe spends a lot of time talking to the county’s Korean community, which comprises 17% of the total population. He visits Korean churches to explain about community policing, and to answer whatever questions people have. It used to be, he said, echoing Patrol Officer Brian Pak: “Parents wanted their children to become lawyers, doctors. But now, people are changing. Now the Korean community wants their son or daughter to be a police officer.“
Dwight L. Bower, Director of Recruiting and Testing for the department, calls recruiting efforts “educational outreach.” “I think it’s a matter of providing enough information to people of diverse cultures so that they can see a viable path to grow in an agency.”
He noted that social media plays a large role in the lives of youth. So they use that medium “to let people see what the officers do.” He added: “Until they understand what the agency is about and who we’re trying to recruit,” they will not be successful.
So here’s their message: Join the Fairfax County Police Department. The minimum requirement is a high school diploma, but a 4-year degree will allow for advancement. If you have fluency in a second language – or if you have military service in your background, the department wants to hear from you – now!
Asian Fortune is an English language newspaper for Asian American professionals in the Washington, DC metropolitan area. Visit fb.com/asianfortune to stay up to date with our news and what’s going on in the Asian American community.
