San Diego is home to one of the largest Asian and Pacific Islander (API) populations in the nation. The San Diego Police Department serves all San Diegans including members of the API community. SDPD works collaboratively with business owners, non-profit organizations and community leaders to build relationships and trust with our immigrant and refugee communities to prevent crime and ensure they have the resources they need to report crimes when they occur.
The Multi-Cultural Community Relations Office (MCCRO), formally the Indochinese Storefront, was established by the San Diego Police Department in 1987 to address the specific needs of a growing refugee population in San Diego. The office is committed to open communication, crime prevention support, and assistance with the Southeast Asian and East African communities. The office seeks to develop community partnerships to prevent, reduce or eliminate the difficulties confronting immigrants and refugee communities. The office addresses the need to build bridges to ease the acculturation of immigrant communities. The office makes an effort to provide police services that are respectful of the dignity and culture of all individuals. The office focuses on the Southeast Asian and East African communities but provides services to anyone who needs assistance.
Contact: rtai@pd.sandiego.gov
Assistant Chief Rudolph (Rudy) Tai has been with the San Diego Police Department for over 30 years. Currently, he oversees patrol operations for the department. During his time with SDPD, Asst. Chief Tai has worked in a variety of assignments from patrol to recruiting to investigative units. Asst. Chief Tai is an adjunct instructor at the San Diego Regional Police Academy, where he teaches Community Policing, Problem Solving, and Hate Crimes. Currently, he is the president of the San Diego Pan Pacific (PANPAC) Law Enforcement Association and the National Association of Asian American Law Enforcement Commanders (NAAALEC). Asst. Chief Tai has previously served as the President of the National Asian Peace Officers’ Association (NAPOA) and as a member of many Asian and Pacific Islander Community Boards.
Contact: aiambito@pd.sandiego.gov
Lieutenant Al Ambito became a police officer with the San Diego Police Department in January 2006. He is the lead liaison to the very diverse Asian and Pacific Islander (API) communities in San Diego. Lieutenant Al Ambito was born, raised and educated in the Philippines. He is a fluent Tagalog speaker and like many Filipino families in San Diego, he was raised around the U.S. military, with his father being a retired U.S. Navy Chief. He is very active in the API communities in San Diego County, especially in working to build trust and respect between law enforcement and the community. His prior assignments include working as a patrol officer in Southern Division and Southeastern Division, serving as a Detective at Southern and Southeastern area stations, and assignments in the Sex Crimes and Child Abuse Units.
From 2016 to 2018, Lt. Al Ambito managed the SDPD Multi-Cultural Community Relations Office (MCCRO) in Mid-City Division. As a Lieutenant, he was first assigned to Southern Division managing the issues along the border during the Migrant Caravan event in 2018.
Currently, Lt. Al Ambito is assigned to the Southeastern Division, which has one of the largest populations of API residents in the City of San Diego. In addition to his duties with SDPD, Lt. Al Ambito is highly active in other API Law Enforcement Associations. He is a founding member and director of the Filipino American Law Enforcement Officers Association in San Diego (FALEO), past President and current Vice President of the San Diego Pan-Pacific Law Enforcement Association (PANPAC) and Vice President of the National Asian Peace Officers Association (NAPOA).
He is committed to maintaining the positive relationship that SDPD has built with API communities and dedicated to helping with any public safety concerns including issues involving any hate crimes against community members.
Contact: cpich@pd.sandiego.gov
Lieutenant Corissa Pich is a 19-year employee of the City of San Diego and a 15-year veteran of the San Diego Police Department. She currently holds the rank of Police Lieutenant and is assigned to Eastern Division. Lt. Pich has worked in a variety of assignments to include, Backgrounds and Recruiting, Internal Affairs, Juvenile Services, Neighborhood Policing Division Homeless Outreach Team, Permits and Licensing, Patrol and Sex Crimes. Lt. Pich holds a Bachelor's degree in Public Administration and a Human Resource Certificate from National University. She is a proud University of San Diego Fellow of RISE Urban Leadership, Generation V.
As a City employee, Lt. Pich has served as a board member for the San Diego Municipal Employee Association and is currently an active Board Member of the San Diego Pan Pacific (PANPAC) Law Enforcement Association. She was a City of San Diego Diversity University Facilitator and helped build cultural and racial understanding between City employees. She is an active member of the SDPD Police Chief’s Advisory Board which represents the Asian and Pacific Islander communities throughout the City.
Lt. Pich is a proud Guamanian-Filipino member of the Southeast San Diego community and has been active in mentoring at-risk minority juveniles in both Southeast and South Bay. She and other SDPD female officers created “Girl Squad”, to mentor teenage girls in San Ysidro and other South Bay neighborhoods to build confidence, pride in the community and teach life skills to promote independence and inclusiveness among each other. As a single mother of two teenage boys and a nephew she is raising, she strives to be a positive example to her family and the community she serves.
Contact: lsainsanoy@pd.sandiego.gov
Sergeant Lem Sainsanoy was a refugee from Cambodia and settled in San Diego in 1980 with his family. He attended Miramar College and later graduated from the San Diego Regional Police Academy. He is one of the department’s liaisons to the very diverse Asian and Pacific Islander (API) communities in San Diego. Sgt. Sainsanoy has been an officer with the City of San Diego for 20 years. While on the police department, he has worked Patrol, Crime Suppression Unit, Violent Crime Task Force, Narcotics, Juvenile Services, and Investigations.
Sgt. Sainsanoy also serves as Vice President of Pan-Pacific Law Enforcement Association (PANPAC), which supports its members on the department and builds partnerships with the community. Sgt. Sainsanoy speaks Cambodian, Laotian and Thai.
Sgt. Sainsanoy is currently assigned to the Multi-Cultural Community Relations Office in the City Heights area of San Diego assisting the refugee community with criminal investigations, translations, traffic-related matters, and crime prevention.
Sgt. Sainsanoy is one of the directors and a mentor for the San Diego Asian Youth Organization (SDAYO), bringing together a diverse group of teenagers and providing them with the resources necessary to give back to their community. The members participate in cultural and civic activities as well as community service events all around San Diego.
Sgt. Sainsanoy is the first Cambodian police officer to be promoted to the rank of Sergeant in the San Diego Police Department.
