Small business owner Linda Lei, who runs a New York Life insurance office at the Pacific Renaissance Plaza, said she believes things have gotten better under Armstrong's leadership.
"Chief Armstrong was very quick response to place police patrols in Chinatown, and I was surprised he was on administrative leave," Lei said. She shared video of the chief speaking to a citizen patrol group called the Blue Angels this past summer about their patnership in deterring crime. He told the group:"We are here for you, we are your partner, but you are part of our response to the crime in Chinatown. Chinatown is a safer place to shop because of you, thank you for what you do."
Lei said Armstrong added more police officers on foot and in police vehicles after a wave of thefts, robberies, and brutal attacks on the Asian American community during the pandemic."When we are patrolling and also have police officers around the corner, we feel more [safe]," Lei said."And sometimes we have something, we can report to the police right away."like Wawa Thai Food. After a break-in in early December, the same thing happened in January.