The Korean American Law Enforcement Organization (KALEO) hosted the 2024 Korean Law Enforcement Conference on October 27 at the Harrah’s Hotel in Las Vegas.
This is the second time the conference will be held after last year’s event in Chicago. About 120 Korean law enforcement officers from 33 law enforcement agencies in the U.S., including the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), Riverside County District Attorney’s Office, New York Police Department, and Anchorage Police Department, and Korean officers from two Canadian law enforcement agencies, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and the Toronto Police Service gathered at the conference, totaling attendance from 35 law enforcement agencies in North America.
Seven Korean-American law enforcement organizations, including the Korean American Law Enforcement Group (KALEG), the Korean American Brotherhood in Law Enforcement (KABLE), the Korean American Officers Association (KAOA), and the Korean American National Police Association (KANPA), are organizing the conference, which runs until October 30.
“If you add up the members of KALEO and other Korean-American law enforcement organizations across the country, we estimate that there are about 700 Korean American officers, but the number should probably be even higher including those not registered,” said KALEO President Ben Park.
At the opening ceremony on October 28, Park said, “We held the conference to bring together not only Korean American officers in North America but also police officials in Korea to build networks and strengthen partnerships.”
The conference was held in a friendly atmosphere as Korean officers from North America gathered in one place for the first time. The attendees ranged in rank from field officer, detective, senior lead officer, to chief and their ages ranged from officers in their 20s to those in their mid-50s.
“In the 1980s, there were about 10 Korean-American officers in the state,” former UCLA Police Chief Tony Lee, who retired in 2022, told the Korea Daily. “This conference showed me that there are a lot more across the country now and that a lot of them are young officers.”
Among the attendees was Los Angeles World Airport Police Chief Cecil Rhambo. Rhambo was born in Seoul in 1959 to a Korean mother and a black father and was adopted to the U.S. at five months old. He shared his upbringing, attitudes toward police work, and his journey to becoming a high-ranking police official.
LAPD Assistant Chief Dominic Choi, the highest-ranking Korean-American officer, said in a video congratulatory speech, “Korean-American officers are serving with professionalism all over the United States,” adding, “I hope that the officers gathered at the conference will create and maintain strong friendships.”
In a video congratulatory remark, Korean National Police Agency Commissioner General Jiho Cho also encouraged the Korean-American officers who attended the conference. “I expect that various discussions will be held to protect the Korean community in North America,” Cho said, ”and the National Police Agency of Korea will establish a cooperative network with Korean American officers to communicate more closely.”
On the same day, the Korean police agency also presented plaques of appreciation to six Korean American officers, including Officer David Park of the Royal Mounted Police and Officer Nancy Kwon of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.
The event also featured lectures and discussions on police activities, including how U.S. law enforcement agencies investigate crimes and how to work with the community.
Kelly McMahill, a former deputy chief of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, shared her experience in police activities in tourist areas with a high concentration of hotels, clubs, and large sports stadiums. Using the 2017 Las Vegas casino street shooting (Mandalay Bay shooting) as an example, she talked about investigative methods, coordination between law enforcement agencies, and cooperation with local media.
Korean diplomatic and police officials also attended the conference to strengthen police cooperation between the U.S. and South Korea. LA Korean Consul General Youngwan Kim and Police Consul Kyunghan Kang, as well as Foreign Affairs Officer Jongkyu Lee of the Korean Embassy in the U.S. and Police Consul Kwangoh Tak of the Korean Consulate General in Toronto, attended the conference.
BY KYEONGJUN KIM, YOONJAE JUNG, HOONSIK WOO [woo.hoonsik@koreadaily.com]
