LAPD Officer Becomes the First-Ever Korean American Deputy Chief

Choi reached the rank after working his way up the ladders in his 25 years of service with the department, according to ABC7. His promotion and accomplishments were recognized by the Los Angeles City Council on Friday.

Councilmember John Lee extended his congratulations to Choi on Twitter on Saturday.

“So proud to recognize Dominic Choi for being the first Korean American to achieve the rank of Deputy Chief within the #LAPD,” Lee wrote. “You’re #breakingbarriers, brother. Thank you for your #service to our City.”

Chief Michael Moore also expressed his pride and excitement in Choi’s achievement, adding that Choi has “served at the forefront of major operational and city-wide initiatives,” CBS Los Angeles reported.

“I think it’s important to reflect every now and then to reflect back on our heritage, our ancestry, our culture because you heard the word diversity many times from many speakers,” Choi said. “There’s so much value in it, understanding the differences not the similarities are what makes us better as an organization, as a city.”

Born in Los Angeles, Choi finished high school in 1988 at Canyon High School, according to his biography. He obtained a Bachelor of Science in accounting at the University of Southern California.

Choi began his career with the LAPD on Nov. 27, 1995. He worked on various divisions and assignments throughout his career, growing from on-patrol assignments to a detective, sergeant, lieutenant and captain before being promoted to deputy chief. Choi is currently assigned to the Operations-Center Bureau.

Feature Image via @LAPDHQ