Police to map out plan to try to solve burglary ring targeting Asian households

Law enforcement officials will meet Thursday with the Oregon Department of Justice to work on a strategy to solve a string of burglaries that have targeted Asian households over the past year.

The gathering — for law enforcement investigators only — will give Lane County agencies a chance to compare details about the cases and look for patterns. It comes amid fears stoked by a string of sophisticated burglaries since the summer of 2024 that have targeted affluent Asian households. The Eugene Police Department estimates about 20 burglaries fit that profile.

The burglaries are part of a wider pattern of crimes that have targeted Asian households in the Portland area, Washington, Idaho and beyond. 

“It is a highly organized, highly coordinated, organized crime organization that is operating,” Lane County District Attorney Chris Parosa said in an interview with Lookout Eugene-Springfield.

A center that shares information with law enforcement agencies nationwide has provided intelligence that generally connects the burglaries to individuals to Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Venezuela. 

The issue has surfaced elsewhere in Oregon: In February, four individuals were arrested in Washington County, suspected of involvement in a multistate ring, court records show.

“We are getting real serious about this locally, because we just find it completely unacceptable, especially that members of our local community are feeling unsafe,” Parosa said. 

Parosa said he’s considering asking federal agencies to assist but will first ask local law enforcement agencies for feedback. He also noted that this would be a legally complex undertaking with suspects who are from abroad.

As a sanctuary state, Oregon cannot legally provide assistance to federal officials seeking help or information with immigration enforcement actions. However, local law enforcement agencies can work with federal agencies on criminal cases unrelated to immigration.

“If we’re talking about South American individuals, you know that begins to blur a potential line there between what is criminal investigation and what is immigration enforcement,” Parosa said. 

But Parosa also said it may make the most sense to involve federal authorities.

“Considering the fact that this is a well-organized crime organization that is operating across the United States, I don’t see how we don’t get the federal government involved and try and assist them in whatever way we can to try and get this organization shut down,” Parosa said.

Parosa said he encouraged anyone who experiences a burglary to report the matter to police.

Eugene Police Department faces complaint

The Eugene Police Department faces a complaint, filed with its auditor, that alleges the agency unduly delayed the assignment of a burglary case to a detective. 

In a statement to Lookout, the police department said the case received a good immediate response from an officer but acknowledged an “error” before a detective started working on the case.

The complaint, obtained by Lookout, was filed by an adult daughter on behalf of her parents, both members of the Asian community. Lookout is not identifying the victims or the daughter, which the family requested to avoid being targeted. 

The two parents reported a burglary to the Eugene Police Department on Aug. 6. A large amount of cash was taken in the burglary. A community service officer arrived and took an initial report and told the family the case fit the same patterns as prior burglaries that targeted Asian households, the complaint said.

Two days later, on Aug. 8, the daughter contacted police because her parents hadn’t received a callback, update or case number, the complaint said. 

On Aug. 12, the law enforcement liaison with the Asian American Council of Oregon contacted the police department and was told a detective soon would be assigned, the complaint said.

On Aug. 13, another adult daughter of the victims dropped off paperwork at the police station but could not talk to anyone directly. 

On Aug. 14, the family made contact with a sergeant and gave him an estimated timeline of the case based on information from a neighbor’s video footage and tips from neighbors. The sergeant told the family he’d heard of the case but had not looked into it, the complaint said.

On Aug. 18, 12 days after the initial report, a detective came to the house for the first time to analyze the crime scene, the surrounding area and talk to neighbors, the complaint said. 

“EPD’s early insensitive mishandling of the case inflicted my parents with unnecessary emotional distress and fear when they were already traumatized and grieving from the incident,” the complaint said. 

After learning more about the targeted Asian home burglaries in the last year, the parents “did not feel safe at all,” the complaint said, “and they were terrified during this period of zero updates/communications from EPD.”

The complaint said the police department should have at least done basic outreach.

In a statement to Lookout, Eugene Police Capt. Jake Burke said: “There was an appropriate response by an EPD community service officer, who did a thorough job processing the scene, collecting evidence, and taking the victim’s report. There was an error in our processing of it after that initial good response. Once it did get to a detective, he has been actively working the case, following up on all leads, and connecting it to the other cases.”

Burke added that the officers didn’t violate any policies or commit misconduct.

In an interview with Lookout, the two adult children of the victims said they were disheartened by how much effort it took to get a detective to the scene.

“It only happened because there were multiple people calling, contacting, going in person, I shudder to think about how much longer it would have taken if my parents just trusted the system,” one of them said. 

They added that their parents are not native English speakers and may have waited longer without advocacy. 

“There was no urgency,” the other daughter said. 

They stressed that the detective, once assigned, has been responsive and engaged. 

“He’s always responding and doing his best,” a daughter said. “We’re so disappointed that it took so long to get him assigned, but he’s been really great since he’s been on the case.”

Public forum planned 

As the investigations into the burglary cases continue, the Asian American Council of Oregon is planning a public safety forum with law enforcement officials later this month.

The forum is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 23, at the Korean Presbyterian Church of Eugene, 1600 Taney St. The event will have a panel with Springfield Police Chief Jami Resch, Eugene Police Chief Chris Skinner, Oregon Department of Justice bias crime prosecutor Gavin Bruce, and Parosa, the district attorney.

The panelists will give statements and take questions from attendees. 

“We are alarmed at the resurgence of burglaries targeting the homes of Asian business owners in Oregon, and we are working closely with local law enforcement to provide information and reassurance to to our (Asian American and Pacific Islander) community,” Jensina Hawkins, a board member and law enforcement liaison for the council, said in a statement.