The NYPD says violence and threats against Asians because of the coronavirus pandemic remain a serious issue across the city. 

“This hit home for me because I have friends, families who are legitimately afraid to go outside because they fear for their safety,” said Deputy Inspector Stewart Loo.  

What You Need To Know

  • Twenty-five Asian-American NYPD detectives form anti-Asian hate crime task force

  • From mid-March to mid-August, there have been 21 reported coronavirus hate crimes against Asians

  • Detectives fear many Asians attacked or threatened because of coronavirus have not reported cases

  • Task force officers speak multiple languages and dialects

He’s been selected to oversee the police department’s newly formed Anti-Asian hates crime task force, made up of 25 detectives who are Asian-American. 

"I'm very involved in the Asian-American community,” Loo said during a news conference at Police Headquarters. “And the sentiment among the Asian-Americans is that not enough is being done. There's not enough resources allocated to us.”

NYPD statistics show that, from mid-March to mid-August, there’ve been 21 hate crimes against people from the Asian community, blaming them for the coronavirus pandemic. Seventeen arrests have been made so far. 

Last year, from January to mid-August, there were only three hate crimes against Asians. We didn’t have the virus then. 

President Trump continuously blames China for the pandemic. 

Police hope their task force can help build better relationships in various Asian neighborhoods and help fight crime. 

“Be it language barriers, cultural differences, or fear of the police, this task force would gain the cooperation through the investigation, the arrest and prosecution process,” said Rodney Harrison, chief of detectives. 

The Asian-American detectives say their investigative skills and cultural experiences will help. Members of the unit speak a variety of languages, including Cantonese, Mandarin, Korean, Fukienese, and Tagalog. 

Police say they believe there are far more cases of Asian-Americans being attacked or threaten, but people are afraid to come forward.

“Things happen, that we see online, and I’m looking for the police report and there is none,” said Deputy Inspector Loo. 

The NYPD says detectives will try to track down victims in those cases seen on social media where no one has come forward to make a complaint.