Korean interpreters to be available at Olympic Police Station starting April

Korean language interpretation volunteers will be assigned to the Olympic Community Police Station, which covers LA Koreatown, starting from April.

The Korean interpretation service at the LAPD, discontinued in 2016 when the captain was changed, will resume after about eight years.

The Korean Language Interpreter Program (KLIP) will begin on April 1, according to the Korean American Federation of Los Angeles and the Olympic Police Station.

For the program, the Olympic Police Station selected seven out of 11 Koreans (including Korean Americans) who applied to volunteer as interpreters through the Korean American Federation of Los Angeles, following interviews and background checks. The police department will also hold an orientation for the volunteers on March 26 before the program begins.

“The volunteers selected include U.S. military veterans, college students, office workers, and self-employed individuals,” said Jeff Lee, Executive Director of the Korean American Federation of Los Angeles. “We recruited the volunteers because many victims of crime are reluctant to visit police stations due to language barriers, and there is a high demand for Korean interpretation services.”

The selected volunteers will be assigned to police stations and will be responsible for interpreting between Korean speakers and police officers. In some cases, they will also assist with language-related tasks within the police station, such as Korean translation.

One of the volunteers, Kiyoon Hwang (68, LA), a former U.S. Army veteran who worked in housing development, now spends his free time after retirement engaging in community service.

“I was looking for an opportunity to serve the Korean community after retirement, and this seemed like the perfect position for me,” Hwang told the Korea Daily. “The role of the police station is important these days, with robberies and a bad social atmosphere, and I think it would be fulfilling to help the Korean community there.”

The Olympic Police Station’s Korean interpreter program began in July 2012 under Commanding Officer Tina Nieto. It lasted about four years before being discontinued due to a change in command and a lack of volunteer participation.

“This time, we plan to recruit volunteers at any time so that the program will not be interrupted,” Jeff Lee said. “In addition, two employees of the Korean American Federation of Los Angeles are volunteering in case there is a shortage of people, so the program will be able to operate continuously.”

BY YEOL JANG, JUNHAN PARK    [jang.yeol@koreadaily.com]