120 people attended LV Police Conference
Discussion on measures to protect Koreans in North America
Building a close network between Korea and the United States
“More than 700 Korean police officers nationwide”
<img alt="Ben Park, Chairman of the Korean Police Officers Association, is taking a selfie with Korean police officers who attended the opening ceremony of the ‘2024 Korean Police Conference’ on the 28th. ” src=”https://news.koreadaily.com/data/photo/202410/29/51269e95-646d-4667-a646-304d16e8d652.jpg”/>
Ben Park, Chairman of the Korean Police Officers Association, is taking a selfie with Korean police officers who attended the opening ceremony of the ‘2024 Korean Police Conference’ on the 28th.
The Korean American Police Officers Association (KALEO, Chairman Ben Park) held the ‘2024 Korean Law Enforcement Conference’ at the Harrah’s Hotel in Las Vegas on the 27th.
This conference is the second to be held following last year’s event in Chicago. About 120 Korean police officers gathered. Korean officers from 33 law enforcement agencies in the United States alone, including the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), Riverside County Prosecutor’s Office, New York Police Department, and Anchorage Police Department, attended. Additionally, Korean officers from two Canadian law enforcement agencies, including the Royal Mounted Police and the Toronto Police Department, also appeared.
The organizer said, “Korean officers from 35 law enforcement agencies in North America attended this conference.”
This conference, which will run until the 30th, will be attended by Korean-Americans from across the country, including the Korean-American Law Enforcement Group (KALEG), Korean-American Law Enforcement Brotherhood (KABLE), Korean-American Officers Association (KAOA), and Korean-American Police Association (KANPA). Seven organizations comprised of law enforcement workers participated.
KALEO Chairman Ben Park said, “The total number of members of KALEO and other Korean police officers’ associations across the country is about 700, but the actual number of Korean police officers is estimated to be higher.”
At the opening ceremony on the 28th, Chairman Park said, “We held the conference with the goal of gathering not only Korean police officers in North America but also Korean police officials to build a network and strengthen mutual cooperation.”
The conference was held in a friendly atmosphere as Korean police officers from North America gathered in one place for the first time in a while. The Koreans in attendance ranged in rank from ‘officer’, ‘detective’, and ‘senior lead officer’, who mainly work in the field, to chief. There were officers ranging from rookie officers in their 20s to officers in their mid-50s.
Former UCLA Police Chief Tony Lee, who retired in 2022, said in an interview with this newspaper, “In the 1980s, there were only about 10 Korean police officers in California,” and “Through this conference, many Korean police officers are working across the country, and young police officers are also joining the ranks.” “I can confirm that it has increased,” he said.
Among the attendees was Los Angeles International Airport Police Chief Cecil Rambo. Director Rambo was born in Seoul in 1959 to a Korean mother and black father and was adopted by the United States five months after his birth. He appeared as a lecturer on this day and shared his growth story and attitude as a police officer, from introducing police work at LA International Airport to becoming a high-ranking police officer.
LAPD Chief Deputy Chief Dominic Choi, who has risen to the highest rank among Korean officers, said in a video congratulatory speech, “Korean officers are serving with expertise all over the United States,” and added, “I hope that the officers gathered at the conference will create and maintain good relationships.”
In addition, Korean National Police Agency Commissioner Jo Ji-ho also encouraged the Korean officers who attended the conference with a video congratulatory speech. Commissioner Cho said, “We expect that various discussions will take place to protect the Korean community in North America,” and added, “The Korean National Police Agency will establish a cooperative network with Korean police officers to communicate more closely.”
On this day, the Korean National Police Agency also presented appreciation plaques to six Korean officers, including Officer David Park of the Royal Mounted Police Department and Officer Nancy Kwon of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.
In addition, lectures and discussions were held on police activities, including the investigative methods of U.S. law enforcement agencies and community cooperation plans.
The speaker, Kelly McMahill, former deputy chief of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, shared her experience regarding police activities in tourist areas where hotels, clubs, and large sports stadiums are concentrated. He mentioned the investigation method, cooperation between law enforcement agencies, and cooperation with local media, using the Las Vegas casino street shooting incident (Mandelay Bay shooting incident) that occurred in 2017 as an example.
Meanwhile, Korean diplomatic and police officials also attended the conference to strengthen ROK-US police cooperation. Also in attendance were LA Consul General Kim Young-wan, Police Consul Kang Kyung-han, Lee Jong-gyu, Foreign Affairs Cooperation Officer at the Embassy in the United States, and Tak Gwang-oh, Police Consul at the Toronto Consulate General.
Las Vegas Text/Photo=Reporter Kim Kyung-jun and Jeong Yun-jae
