Preventing and Addressing Anti-Asian Hate Crime: A Demonstration Project in Los Angeles

Preventing and Addressing Anti-Asian Hate Crime:

A Demonstration Project in Los Angeles

This proposal from the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) seeks $750,000 to prevent and address anti-Asian hate crimes in the city of Los Angeles. The project period is for three years with a start date of October 1, 2021, and end date. of September 30, 2024.

The proposal includes the following partners: Los Angeles City Attorney’s Office (LACA), the Japanese American Citizens League (JACL), the Chinatown Business Improvement District, the Little Tokyo Business Improvement District, the Mid-City West Neighborhood Council, and Research Partner Justice & Security Strategies, Inc. (JSS).

The project has four major goals:

Goal 1.  Improve the collection of anti-Asian hate crime data,

Goal 2.  Improve training and education of the police,

Goal 3.  Improve public education and knowledge of anti-Asian hate crime, and

Goal 4.  Enhance investigations and prosecutions of offenders

To achieve these goals, the Department will establish an Anti-Asian Hate Crime Working Group comprised of the partner agencies. They will be tasked with developing and implementing a strategic plan. The first year of the project will be for planning and writing a plan. Four Sub-Groups will be established that address each of the goals. Years 2 and 3 will involve the actual implementation of the plan.

To improve the collection of data, the Department will examine its current methods of responding to and recording hate crimes and will make changes to that process and educate the public. To improve training and education of police officers, supervisors, and command staff anti-Asian hate crime training curricula will be developed through the Training Bureau and with the assistance of community organizations. To improve public education and marketing, the community partners will assist with improving police-community relationships, develop brochures in different languages, make use of social media and other outlets, and make information available on their websites. To enhance investigations and prosecution, LAPD detectives and LACA will examine their processes and work to improve them.

Deliverables will include an implementation plan, brief reports that assess the progress of the project, and presentations at police and research conferences.