Trust Is Key in Solving Crimes

Gaining the trust of recent immigrants can be half the battle for police trying to solve crimes. That’s been the experience of officers in Glendale--with large Armenian and Asian communities--as they try to encourage immigrants to report extortion attempts.

The effort began late last month after an extortion attempt at a clothing and shoe store ended in a shootout that left two people dead. Six people have been arrested in connection with the killings, and a seventh is being sought. But Glendale police immediately created a telephone hotline so others could report similar extortion attempts.

Problem: Few calls have trickled in to the hotline, at (818) 548-2119. To their credit, officers have begun a campaign in cooperation with local television stations, ethnic newspapers and community groups to get the word out that extortion is a crime and that police can be trusted to investigate complaints thoroughly.

For some immigrants, the police in their native lands were no better than the thugs who threatened them. Sometimes, the police themselves were the ones extorting money for protection of businesses from vandalism--or worse.

Glendale police are doing the right thing, but success now depends on the residents of Glendale to follow through. Fearing retaliation, some might find the call to police tough to make, but the promise of this country is freedom from tyranny--whether from government or from punks demanding money. The obligation of that freedom, though, is that residents stand up and report wrongdoing.