See more comments on this issue at http://lansdale.patch.com/groups/opinion/p/why-are-there-no-asianamerican-police-officers-in-montgomery-township.

There is a very interesting Needs Assessment Report, titled "Korean & Asian Indians in the North Penn Area," Family Services of Montgomery County, April 15, 2008, viewable at http://chungsoolee.com/files/6_10Larry_Fiebert_needs_assessment.pdf -or- http://www.sajaforum.org/files/Report.pdf. It does not get into relations with local police. But it does say, in part, at Recommendation #24, that North Penn government agencies should be encouraged to be more welcoming, accepting, and persistent in their outreach to Koreans and Asian Indians. And generally, the report does a pretty comprehensive job of explaining what makes these communities tick, cultural attributes, and common stereotypes. It is worth a read for anyone wanting to learn more about Koreans and Asian Indians.

It appears that the neighboring police departments have the same issue.

A quote from Vincent Harding, on the On Being with Krista Tippett radio show on 12/1/13 on WHYY: "The great American experiment with building a multiracial democracy is still in the laboratory. We have got to be willing to see ourselves as part of an experiment that is actively working its way through right now. None of us knows the answer fully, as to how we do this. We stumble. We hold on to each other. We hug each other. We fight with one another in loving ways. But we keep moving and experimenting and trying to figure it out."

Famed Los Angeles street-food chef Roy Choi was interviewed in the 2/9/14 New York Times. He has some interesting observations at the end of the interview that might help non-Koreans to understand Koreans and Korean-Americans. See http://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/09/travel/roy-chois-taste-of-south-korea.html?_r=0.

This article, on how people of different cultures communicate, is a worth a read: http://blogs.hbr.org/2014/02/how-to-say-this-is-crap-in-different-cultures/.

I witnessed something that created a good analogy on the need for patience when taking information for a police report, say, from someone who has English as a second language. An older woman took her car into a local dealer for servicing, reporting that on occasion there was a strange noise emanating from a rear wheel. The service person asked when does this occur, and it was obvious to me that he wanted to know whether there was a pattern of circumstances that coincided with the noise. The woman answered, "March 2 at 11 AM, March 5 at 7 PM, ..." You can see how communication in such situations requires great care.

The Montgomery Township police department is doing some great things with its Coffee with a Cop program and Police Week at the Montgomery Mall. It might want to see whether Rhee Brothers, owners of Assi Plaza, would support programs at Assi Plaza, which is truly a meeting place for the areas Asian-American population.

How about addressing African American or black representation on the police force as well? Montgomery Township is only about 5% black. But certainly many black people come into the township daily to work or shop, or just to pass through on Routes 309 and 63. You surely see black motorists pulled over by police in the township. It would be nice to see more diversity among the police officers. Even if you go by 5%, that is one out of 20, so perhaps not that small of a number.

There is increasing recognition that information gets lost in translation when police and others do not speak the same primary language. See http://articles.philly.com/2014-07-01/news/50977494_1_han-tak-lee-bradley-schmidt-arson. Would Korean speaking police officers have helped in the Gwynedd Pointe shooting and investigation? In an accident investigation I witnessed, giving the the MTPD officer the benefit of the doubt that he was not just plain dismissive, the officer did not understand what the Korean American driver was trying to explain. More diversity on the MTPD would be useful, and make the department fairer than it is now.

Our society is not going to become any less diverse, and our institutions have to adapt to serve us well. The Montgomery Township Police should conduct some of their community activities at Assi Plaza, say, and take part in the North Penn International Spring Festival. Mutual awareness benefits all parties.

For a look at a serious subject through humor, see: If Asians Said the Stuff White People Say, at http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=if+asians+said+the+stuff+white+people+say+buzzfeed. There are similar videos for other races on YouTube. We can all learn a lot from them.

I have not seen it myself but I'm told that a local Korean-language newspaper had an article recently about the Montgomery County District Attorney's office planning efforts for more outreach with the Asian communities in the county. ... There is a good article in yesterday's Philadelphia Inquirer about how new police recruits in Philly are required to visit the Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C., to learn of police involvement in the atrocities and how strong values are needed because police officers must never give in to pressures that undermine human decency.

Montgomery Township, PA, is certainly not Ferguson, MO. But Ferguson does demonstrate the importance of all parties in the police-public equation feeling respected.

It really is a matter of respect. In a situation for which I am familiar, a Korean-American who spoke broken English was involved in a car accident. When a family member who spoke fluent English arrived at the scene and tried to interpret for the officer, the white Montgomery Township police officer said he already put too much time into the matter and did not want to hear any more. This left the Koreans feeling totally disrespected.

I would welcome a report on progress made by the Montgomery Township Police Department in the area of diversity.

I read of community building between Montgomery Township police and the Korean-American community here: http://www.thereporteronline.com/business/20141128/owner-of-north-wales-martial-arts-studio-honored-by-south-korean-president.

Montgomery Township, PA, is not Ferguson, MO. But we are one country, so in a way, we are all responsible as citizens for race relations. We should bear in mind what President Obama said in his speech on 11/24/14, "That means working with law enforcement officials to make sure their ranks are representative of the communities they serve. We know that makes a difference. It means working to train officials so that law enforcement conducts itself in a way that is fair to everybody. It means enlisting the community actively on what should be everybody’s goal, and that is to prevent crime."

It's all about earning and giving respect.

Non-Koreans who would like to learn more about Koreans may want to see the film, Ode to My Father (Korean with English subtitles), presently showing at the 309 Cinema in Montgomeryville.

This developing story from Lower Merion shows why police departments need to be concerned with diversity, http://www.philly.com/philly/news/20150129_Resident__Did_Lower_Merion_police_profile_snow_shovelers_.html.

More on lack of diversity in nearby Lower Merion, see http://www.philly.com/philly/news/20150209_Lower_Merion_police_face_questions_of_race_profiling_in_shoveling_incident.html. Perhaps some lessons can be learned from it.

It would be a win-win for the local police departments and the community if the police would participate in the Lansdale International Spring Festival on 4/18/15, see http://internationalspringfestival.com/.

There are some good ideas in this article on community policing and the importance of recognizing diverse communties, at https://news.yahoo.com/richmond-california-police-chief-chris-magnus-talks-community-policing-in-katie-couric-interview-044448393.html.

It was good seeing Officer Robert Johnson of Montgomery Township and his P.A.L. table at the Lansdale International Spring Festival at North Penn High School this past weekend.

Is this issue getting anywhere?

I saw that Montgomery Township police had a Coffee with a Cop event at the McDonald's near Assi last Saturday. I was not able to make it. It sure is a great idea! You can't always measure success of such practices quantitatively. But communication among community stakeholders is always a good thing!

A modern approach to policing is working well in Norristown, PA, see http://www.philly.com/philly/news/20150525_Rethinking_law__order_in_Norristown.html .

It seems that the majority of cars I see pulled over by police in Montgomery Township, particularly on Route 309, are occupied by black people. The cars are usually jalopies. Why are they being stopped? Is it to enforce state inspection laws? I know this observation is anecdotal evidence. Are there any reports on disparate racial treatment by the police in Montgomery Township? Last Saturday, a car was stopped in the Burger King parking lot. The way the police car was positioned, you'd think the occupants, who were black, were bank robbers. Maybe it was protocol. I'm just wondering. These are the kinds of questions that people ask, rightly or wrongly, when a force is not very diverse.

My young son and I were riding our bikes recently in the business campus behind Stony Creek Park, early on a Saturday morning. A police officer was sitting in his cruiser in one of the parking lots. My son said let's get out of here, before he causes trouble and we get shot. His reaction alarmed me, so I had a conversation with him. He said that whenever officers come to his school for the DARE program, the students are scared about being shot by them, because the students are unarmed and the police are maniacs. He said that kids' parents tell them to be wary of cops in light of all of the trouble in the news. I then had a long discussion with him about the danger of stereotyping based on the ill deeds of a few. He agreed with me, that the police have a hard enough job without the knucklehead cops making it worse for all of them. He also said it was his impression that the police were trying hard to be friendly with the students, but the students were still scared. What a shame.

The latest case in the news is that of Sandra Bland. There are a lot of people, cops and non-cops alike, that need to get over themselves. The police have the power and the public trust, though, so it's important that they maintain their professionalism at all times.

The ACLU is introducing a phone app that will allow PA residents to record police stops and have a copy of the recording forwarded automatically and immediately to the ACLU, so that it is preserved in the event the police confiscate the phone (and then hide it, destroy it or delete its video). See, for ex., http://www.philly.com/philly/news/20150825_ACLU_meeting_set_for_Thursday_in_Coatesville.html.

I heard about Officer Tommy Norman on the Karen Hunter show on Sirius XM's Urban View (ch. 126). It is nice to see a good cop (of which I am sure there are many) spotlighted. Google his name. Here is an example, http://mic.com/articles/117658/this-arkansas-police-officer-is-going-viral-for-all-the-right-reasons.

Any progress on this issue?

This report is meant to address Asian-Americans as consumers, but I think one can learn a lot about culture from it as well: http://www.nielsencommunity.com/report_files/nielsen-asian-american-report-june-2015.pdf.

Delco ADA Pearl Kim, who is a special ADA in Montco, would be a good resource for police interested in the Korean-American community. See http://www.pabar.org/public/news%20releases/pr111915.asp.

I've heard that the Montgomery Township Police Department had an outreach table at the Assi Market this summer. I'm surprised I have not read anything about it, although I hear it may have been in the Korean-American papers. Does anyone have more information? I hope it went well.

It's nice to see that Montgomeryville is getting a Korean War memorial, and that delegates from South Korea visited the site.

I've written a lot on this topic, above. The page has many views. Does anyone else have an opinion on it? Please comment if you do.

I see that the Montgomery Township Police Department has an opening for an officer. It would be nice if it could be filled by a qualified member of a minority group, particularly an Asian American. I know it's not always easy to do, but a lot of things in life take a lot of effort.

This sounds absurd, but for now if you are within the jurisdiction of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania federal courts, if police try to stop you from video recording them, you better tell them you are exercising expressive conduct, see http://www.philly.com/philly/opinion/20160310_Inquirer_Editorial__People_have_a_right_to_video_cops.html.

There is an appeal pending in the case mentioned in the last post.

It is not easy to recruit minority officers. Hazelton's experience is recounted at http://www.philly.com/philly/news/20160403_10_years_after_immigration_disputes__Hazleton_is_a_different_place.html. But I think just diversifying as much as possible has the benefit of people being mindful of differences generally, a positive.

Any progress here?

Has representation on the local police forces kept up with the growing diversity in what I'll call the Lansdale/Montgomeryville area?

Have you ever called 911 in Montco and had a frustrating experience communicating with the operator? I have. And a couple of weekends ago we were biking on the Route 202 Bypass trail early in the morning and came upon a bike accident. A pedestrian called 911 on his cell, and when asked for location, said we were right next to mile marker 3.1. He was asked for the cross streets, and no one knew, no one had been paying attention. He spent considerable time arguing that mile marker 3.1 on the Route 202 Bypass is all we knew. Eventually, police cars and an ambulance came. But shouldn't the operator be able to pinpoint the location based on a mile marker? Isn't that a major purpose for them, see http://wonderopolis.org/wonder/why-do-highways-have-mile-markers?

See the last entry regarding bicyclists reporting their locations to 911 along the 202 Bypass in an emergency. We discovered the trail system that runs off of the Bypass along the Neshaminy Creek. It has posts with 911 location numbers along the way. They might be a good idea along the 202 Bypass path as well. A lot of people using it are not from the immediately surrounding area, and do not know the cross streets.

On the Joe Madison Show on Sirius ch. 126, Urban View, this morning, Mr. Madison was saying that the police generally look too often to people leaving the military for recruits. He maintained that the role of the police is to protect and serve, which is different from military learning. Put another way, he said it is the combat model in the military versus the community service model that is needed for police in today's world. Do you agree? Also, some callers said that there is not enough diversity training for police officers. Based on what is happening in America today, I think that may be right.

It is beginning to appear that recording police encounters with Facebook Live may be better than with the ACLU app. Keep an eye on the news for developments.

Good article about police training on citizen encounters, includes the need for diversified police force: http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/what-the-camera-doesn%E2%80%99t-capture-in-those-viral-videos-of-police-shootings/ar-BBuFgkp?li=BBnbcA1.

For an excellent article on how tough it is to police in America today, see http://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/24/us/police-ridealongs.html?_r=0.

I'd like to hear from white police officers on this one. There was a discussion on the Karen Hunter show (Sirius Ch 126) recently about white cops pulling over black people. The cops start by asking who owns the car, which is perceived by the driver as a dig, that no way could you afford it. Why do they ask that? Also, they ask, where are you headed? I've heard this, and it often seems to me to be a lead in to, well, I want you to get there safely, so I'm giving you a warning, or I want our streets to be safe, so I'm giving you a ticket. But really, what is it any of the officers business if the stop is for an alleged traffic violation like running a red light? I will have to find Laura Coates new book on what the police can do legally during a stop, see https://www.amazon.com/You-Have-Right%E2%80%A6-Constitutional-Policing-ebook/dp/B01ARL4OMG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1476374455&sr=8-1&keywords=laura+coates. I've heard her discuss on the Karen Hunter show and it sounds pretty authoritative.

"Implicit-bias" training would be good for any police force, see http://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/23/magazine/how-bias-went-from-a-psychological-observation-to-a-political-accusation.html?_r=0.

I heard about this on the Joe Madison show this AM (Sirius 126), as the Emmett Till case is back in the news. The NYPD has used the play, "Anne and Emmett" fro training officers, as many young recruits say they don't even know who Anne Frank and Emmett Till were. The play does a good job of illustrating the importance of understanding others.

Here is a link re "Anne and Emmett" and the NYPD: http://nypost.com/2015/10/17/bratton-adds-broadway-play-to-nypd-recruit-training/.

Police dashcam footage creates public records, with some exceptions: http://www.thelegalintelligencer.com/id=1202792036084/Supreme-Court-Says-Dashcam-Footage-Is-PublicmdashUsually?mcode=0&curindex=0&curpage=ALL.

Citizens have a right to record police officers, with limited exceptions, per 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals, see, for ex., http://www.thelegalintelligencer.com/id=1202792470219. So, unless the U.S. Supreme Court takes up the issue and rules differently, that is the law in Pennsylvania.

Good report on what some police departments are doing to recognize racial profiling: http://www.philly.com/philly/news/racial-profiling-traffic-stop-philadelphia-police-pa-nj.html.

The Korean War Memorial and America-Korean Alliance Peace Park is a great move, http://www.thereporteronline.com/general-news/20170810/ground-broken-on-korean-war-memorial-and-peace-park-in-montgomery-township. Those behind it must be commended.

Let's hear it for Nydia Han! Yes, this is America. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/asian-american-reporter-video-bigoted-driver-philadelphia_us_59aee63ae4b0354e440d1069

This article gets into when a citizen can record police activity, for ex., on a cell phone: https://www.law.com/thelegalintelligencer/sites/thelegalintelligencer/2017/12/05/aclu-settles-lawsuits-against-philadelphia-over-retaliation-for-filming-cops/?back=law.

Interesting dialogue in neighboring Lansdale, PA: http://www.thereporteronline.com/general-news/20180513/lansdale-community-takes-stand-against-racism. Article on Asian-American/police interaction: https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2017/04/18/524556485/on-police-treatment-asian-americans-show-ethnic-generational-splits.

This is interesting: federal court in Boston ruled that a Mass. law against secretly recording police while performing duties is unconstitutional. See, for ex., https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2018/12/10/mass-judge-says-secretly-recording-officials-including-police-constitutionally-protected/4weeStFH3aaJJ10dpm5JJO/story.html.

This is a good speech about why it is not our anger that is causing our division, but our contempt, https://www.c-span.org/video/?c4853101/arthur-brooks-keynote-speech-2020-national-prayer-breakfast . If you can view this article, Professor Gates explains his arrest that led to the “beer summit” with the arresting officer and President Obama, https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/02/03/magazine/henry-louis-gates-jr-interview.html. Both are instructive on how to get along in our diverse society.

This is why police departments need diversity and inclusion among their ranks. https://www.inquirer.com/news/new-hanover-townhip-kevin-mckeon-attorney-general-20200720.html.

Measures Asian Americans are taking to protect themselves from hate crimes: https://www.technologyreview.com/2021/04/22/1023359/asian-american-hate-crimes-instagram-activism/?truid=14065a11f1ff5b37b0f8ce554bea8143&utm_source=the_download&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=the_download.unpaid.engagement&utm_term=&utm_content=04-22-2021&mc_cid=a4d539a31d&mc_eid=b76a3fa323.

Another US appeals court allows video recording of police. See https://apnews.com/article/us-news-police-lawsuits-denver-government-and-politics-e3aea9218783a4e041f6fb97f226b92f.