About 20 people were arrested in connection to numerous armed robberies targeting Asian American Sacramento residents, the police department said Thursday.The suspects do not appear to be connected, but they used the same tactics when robbing victims in the south Sacramento area, police said.The robbery trend started about four months ago, but decreased over the past month. Officers recorded 14 robberies targeting south Sacramento Asian Americans in August. In September, that number fell to eight. Police attributed the 43 percent decline to community outreach and concentrated enforcement."We've put a lot of emphasis on our community engagement, reaching out to those folks in the community, opening dialog that may not have been there before," Sacramento Police Sgt. Bryce Heinlein said.Police have held seven community meetings, and have another two scheduled.Linda Ng, the former president of the Sacramento Organization of Chinese Americans, attended one of those community meetings just last week."We're all coming together to listen, to learn, to hear what we can do to help each other," Ng said.Since the "dramatic down-tick," investigators were able to link suspects to unsolved robbery cases, police said.Officers will continue to patrol key locations in South Sacramento and work with the community.Investigators are urging anyone who is a robbery victim, or a witness to a crime, to call the Sacramento Police Department at 916-264-5471, or Crime Alert at 916-443-HELP (4357).

About 20 people were arrested in connection to numerous armed robberies targeting Asian American Sacramento residents, the police department said Thursday.

The suspects do not appear to be connected, but they used the same tactics when robbing victims in the south Sacramento area, police said.


The robbery trend started about four months ago, but decreased over the past month. Officers recorded 14 robberies targeting south Sacramento Asian Americans in August. In September, that number fell to eight. Police attributed the 43 percent decline to community outreach and concentrated enforcement.

"We've put a lot of emphasis on our community engagement, reaching out to those folks in the community, opening dialog that may not have been there before," Sacramento Police Sgt. Bryce Heinlein said.

Police have held seven community meetings, and have another two scheduled.

Linda Ng, the former president of the Sacramento Organization of Chinese Americans, attended one of those community meetings just last week.

"We're all coming together to listen, to learn, to hear what we can do to help each other," Ng said.

Since the "dramatic down-tick," investigators were able to link suspects to unsolved robbery cases, police said.

Officers will continue to patrol key locations in South Sacramento and work with the community.

Investigators are urging anyone who is a robbery victim, or a witness to a crime, to call the Sacramento Police Department at 916-264-5471, or Crime Alert at 916-443-HELP (4357).