Glendale News Press
LATimes.com
Nov 15 2004
Police department’s greater shades of culture
Newly hired Korean- American Police cadet overcame ethnic
expectations to pursue her dream.
By Jackson Bell, News-Press and Leader
SOUTHEAST GLENDALE – A self-described adrenaline junkie, Sharon Kim
can’t conceive following through with her parents’ wish for her to
work as a pharmacist in a safe, but unexciting, drug store.
So breaking what she calls a Korean stereotype of putting family
before career, the 18-year-old Kim has decided to take her first step
toward her eventual goal of working with the FBI or Secret Service –
the Glendale Community College student became a Glendale Police
cadet.
“Since I was born in America and I’m American, I feel women can
pursue careers, no matter what,” she said. “But my parents think this
career might overshadow [family life] because I might work long
shifts and not have extra time for family commitments.”
Both Kim and Patrol Officer Matt Hyun-Koo Prokosch – the first
Korean-American officer hired to the force – agree that Korean
parents, like many immigrants, usually push their children into
entering such high-level professional jobs such as doctors and
lawyers that allow for better work schedules and pay higher than
public safety careers.
With Kim and Prokosch, all it took was a little education and a lot
of passion to convince their families that police work was a good
choice.
“[Korean immigrants] learn quickly that government jobs in the United
States are good jobs, where back in Korea they are not well
respected,” Prokosch said.
While Glendale Police are ahead of their firefighting counterparts,
both agencies are still trying to diversity their staff to better
reflect the community in which they serve.
The police department’s most recent demographics reveal that of 368
sworn and civilian employees, 84 are Latino, 23 are Asian or Pacific
Islanders, 17 are Armenian and seven are black, according to city
auditors. The Glendale Fire Department, in contrast, hired its first
Korean-American firefighter earlier this year, and has no Armenian
firefighters.
Korean is one of the more prominent Asian ethnicities in the area,
with pockets found in Glendale north of the Ventura (134) Freeway and
in La Cañada Flintridge and La Crescenta, officials said.
“She will have the opportunity to learn about the police culture, and
hopefully we can learn about her culture through her,” said Lt. Bruce
Fox, who heads the department’s Professional Standards Bureau.
“And at the same time, we might eventually gain a police officer that
will be badly needed to serve the Korean community of Glendale.”
But Sharon Kim’s mother, Michelle Kim, plans on supporting her
daughter no matter what her career choice is.
“That is what she wants to do and is really pursuing it as a career,
and I encourage her to do whatever she likes,” Michelle Kim said.