Sheriff’s Asian Crimes Task Force Opens Office

INDUSTRY — Pushing forward with plans to crack down on criminals who target Los Angeles County’s vast Asian community, Sheriff Lee Baca on Monday showed off the department’s freshly painted headquarters for the new Asian Crimes Task force.

At a ceremony attended by China’s Los Angeles consul general and other dignitaries, Baca officially dedicated the new 6,300-square-foot headquarters, located in an office complex in Industry.

A dozen deputies--fluent in Chinese, Vietnamese, Tagalog and Korean--will staff the office, reflecting Baca’s intent to combine “cultural understanding and language skills with general law enforcement services.”

The unit--which was formed shortly after Baca took office in December--will handle a wide range of cases, including residential robberies, kidnappings for ransom and crimes committed by Asian gangs against other Asian residents.