Going into our meeting with Deputy Chief Hara, I wondered about the different ways people see the police department. On one hand, their motto is "to protect and to serve" which is very encouraging for helping communities, but on the other hand, the media and reality sometimes portrays the police in a negative light. I haven't gotten a parking ticket or speeding ticket, but I'm guessing those that have are pretty mad over it and are wondering why the police aren't going after dangerous and violent criminals.

So I was a bit tentative when we had the chance to meet with Deputy Chief Hara, but then he talked about his service and connections within the community and I started realizing that the LAPD has come a long way and that Los Angeles was actually a pretty safe city. I've been downtown late at night for concerts and shows, and nothing bad has ever happened to me. Racial and cultural tension seems to have strongly decreased and I think that is a testament to police such as Deputy Chief Hara who emphasize diversity and openness. It also helps that the LAPD have translators for the multiple languages that are spoken in L.A.

We also talked about the relationship between the API community and the LAPD with Chief Hara talking about his personal past and how his family was initially opposed to him joining the police force. He talked about how there was still a stigma today with Asians, but I realized it was a very honorable and necessary occupation. Keeping our communities safe should be a number one priority and we do not always remember how hard our police officers work so that the rest of us can sleep safely at night.

CASIC Interns with Deputy Chief of the LAPD Terry Hara