Anoosha Mirza
On Aug. 28, the Baltimore County Police Department issued a press release warning Asian business owners to stay vigilant about rising national burglary trends. The police department is seeing an increase in home burglaries where Asian-American business owners are targeted.
Organized criminal groups are taking note of Asian-owned businesses to learn the owner’s routines. They then break into the victim’s car or home while at work and steal cash and valuables.
The BCPD is recommending that business owners take specific preventative measures such as:
- Installing surveillance cameras around the home or business.
- Considering having an alarm system installed.
- Being aware of their surroundings.
- Keeping their car locked while at work.
More information and recommendations can be found here.
The department is “proactively contacting business owners to ensure they are aware of this national trend,” said the BCPD’s director of public affairs, Joy Stewart.
The department has also been in contact with KAGRO, which is an organization that assists Korean-American communities and their retail businesses. They provide and promote leadership, information, and new relationships for the advancement of their members. More details about KAGRO can be found on their website.
The BCPD has actively been attempting to reach out to the Asian-American community and provide support through its community outreach programs. The BCPD has community outreach teams in each precinct, and they have been in “contact with business owners across Baltimore County.” The program works with citizens, organizations, and other agencies toward community goals.
The department conducts residential and business security surveys for free. They also provide crime prevention programs focusing on topics such as robbery prevention, home, and business security, vehicle theft and carjacking prevention, etc. More information about the BCPD community outreach programs and ways to get involved can be found on the department’s website.
When asked what the department is doing to protect its Asian community and business owners, Stewart restated the recommended preventative measures that the BCPD suggested in their press release.
Although the BCPD claims to be taking steps to ensure the safety and comfort of its Asian residents and business owners, many community members do not feel like they are doing enough.
“I’ve never heard this warning before,” says Vanessa Sipayboun—the owner of Charming Elephant, a restaurant in Baltimore, MD. Sipayboun says she is not surprised by this advisory. Since their opening, Charming Elephant has experienced “a lot of petty theft, microaggressions, and slurs.”
“The effects of COVID are still heavy,” Sipayboun states, “people don’t want to admit or eat at an Asian restaurant.” This is why she believes this trend of Asian targeting has gotten popular.
When asked how she thinks the BCPD is keeping their Asian residents safe, Sipayboun does not believe that “any Baltimore government institution, including the police, is doing a good job of protecting any Asian residents.”