Asians in South Sacramento say they're tired of being targeted by armed robbers. Sacramento Police say this has actually been a county-wide trend and it's been going up and down all year.

The good news is- they said they've seen less robberies these past few weeks.

"I think the media is definitely helping," said Detective John Fan, a 15-year-veteran of the department. "I'm hoping [criminals] know to lay low.'

A huge reason Asians are being targeted is because of communication and cultural barriers.

"Coming from the Chinese community myself, it is true that many of the times, the language barrier is a factor when it comes to reporting to police," Fan said. "Another issue is culture...some of the elderly Chinese families might not want to contact the police."

Despite what the community thinks about law enforcement, Fan said he wants the Asian community in Sacramento to know that police care and are working hard to address their concerns.

"One thing we [want] the community to know is these violent crimes will not be tolerated," Fan said. "We treat these crimes very seriously."

Fan said in response, Sacramento Police have added more patrol in the targeted neighborhoods. Police go through crime reports weekly and concentrate their units in areas that are seeing more crime. That includes SWAT teams and investigation teams. Some of those neighborhoods include Avondale, Lemon Hill, Elder Creek, Stockton Boulevard, and 65th Street.

Sacramento Police said they, along with the Sacramento County Sheriff's Department, have already made several arrests, including some of the suspects that have been shown in surveillance footage gone viral. In many of those cases, the suspects were arrested within days of the robberies happening.

Fan said they didn't inform the public because posting surveillance footage or mugshots can often jeopardize cases that are still pending trial. A lot of victims may misidentify a suspect, thinking it's someone they've seen in a video or photo. That can often harm a victim's case by affecting their credibility when they do try to identify the right suspect or even in court.

Fan adds that not posting surveillance footage is actually a good thing, because it means they already have leads in the investigation and don't need the public's help.

"Many of these cases, the perpetrators are responsible for multiple cases," Fan said. "We try not to broadcast information to jeopardize the pending cases."

People should focus on being alert and getting to know their neighbors and neighborhood, Fan said.

"If you see something suspicious, please report it to police," Fan said. "If you see a suspicious vehicle, it's important to get the license plate...help us in solving cases."

To help police solve cases, police say you need to report them as soon as they happen.

"[Many victims] call their family first [and then their] family calls police for them," Fan said. "[That could cause anywhere from] a four to six-minute, six to ten-minute delay until we get the message.

Fan wants non-English speakers to know if you call 9-1-1 and just scream "Help!" they'll send police officers to you. In an attempt to close the communication and cultural gap, Sacramento Police have already held one meeting in Mandarin with officers to translate for Cantonese and Vietnamese speakers.

"So elderly community members know that we do have bilingual officers and when they do ask for help from police, their questions are answered," Fan said.

When asked about alleged slow response times, Fan said big layoffs in 2010 are still affecting police staffing. However, they're getting ready to fill 150 positions.

"All the calls we feel depend on priority of the calls, Fan said. "Usually, a robbery that just occurred or a home invasion are our high priority calls."

On Tuesday, more than a hundred Asians showed up at the city council meeting to let city leaders know of their fear.

"[Our] goal is to work together with the community," Fan said. "I'm actually happy to see a voice coming from the Asian-Pacific Islander community."

Fan said Sacramento Police hope to hold more community meetings and show their faces around the community, so community members can feel more comfortable and trust police more.

Police will be joining Councilmember Eric Guerra and a representative from Mayor Kevin Johnson's office at a meeting organized by the community on Sunday. The meeting will be held at the George Sim Community Center (6207 Logan St) from 6:30 to 7:30 P.M. Those interested in attending should RSVP to annievlam@gmail.com.

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