As an immigrant who narrowly escaped South Vietnam after the war, Sgt. Phuong Pham has served the City of Westminster, California, for over 22 years, mediating between police and the city’s robust Vietnamese community.
Over the years, he has been this bridge despite budget cuts to the city’s police force and rapid crime rate increases. He’s turned down more lucrative job offers from other agencies. Westminster is his community, he says.
Whoever you talk with on the force says Westminster is lucky to have Pham.
As communism and famine continued to plague South Vietnam, Pham and his father boarded a small fishing boat near Saigon in 1984, forced to flee—leaving his mother and sister behind after his father was imprisoned for six years by Communist forces. Pham was only 11 at the time and had nearly drowned during some of their 12 previous attempts.
The trek was dangerous. Without enough water or food for the journey, Pham and his father spent five days in the South China Sea with over 100 other refugees crammed into the small, 40-foot boat. Although stranded, a large Japanese boat refused to rescue them amid speculation that Pham’s boat was not in “bad enough” shape. Many died on the journey.
“We almost ran out of food and water on the boat … we had to use sea water to boil the rice and it was too salty. I couldn’t eat it,” Pham told The Epoch Times.
Eventually landing at Kuku Island, Indonesia, Pham and his father were placed in a Galang Refugee Camp for six months where they met other Vietnamese refugees, some of whom would later become, like Pham, residents in Westminster.
Without enough money to buy food and supplies at the camp, Pham and his father relied on a “barter” system to obtain provisions. His father taught in a refugee school on the island in exchange for Spam, dry fish, and whatever else was available.
“I honestly don’t know how they survived. It’s an unbelievable story,” Westminster police Detective Cmdr. Cord Vandergrift told The Epoch Times. “His story has made him the man he is today.”
Six months later they were admitted to the United States thanks to the U.S. refugee application process. They made it to Olympia, Washington, where Pham’s father mowed lawns and washed dishes to support him and his son.
The journey’s toll and language gap did not deter Pham from quickly assimilating into his new surroundings in Olympia where he began sixth grade.
“[We] didn’t speak any English. But it was easy for me because I was young. When you’re young it’s easier to learn a second language,” Pham said.
By 1999, Pham enrolled in the Orange County Sheriff’s Regional Training Academy during his last year at Cal Poly Pomona.
He had considered majoring in business, but ultimately chose against it to pursue a desire to help his community.
Today, Pham reflects on the rewards of his job, as well as the toll it has taken on some of his colleagues
“We fix people’s problems every day. It’s almost like we plug holes,” Pham said. “People don’t understand … the stress, a lot of officers have heart issues when they retire because of all the adrenaline dumps and the roller coaster that [we] go through every day.”
Amid budget cuts, many on the force have had to make sacrifices to cover for short-staffing, often working longer hours for less pay than neighboring cities. Pham is among many such staff.
However, he said his desire to help his community far outweighs any incentive to join another force amid current bidding wars between cities for seasoned staff.
“I’m so rooted in this community, many people know me. I know so many people here that it’s just a part of me now,” Pham said, “Yes, [the pay] can be more, but at the same time, I can be more beneficial to the community and department here.”
Pham said he also values his role serving not just as an officer, but also as a translator and police liaison for the Vietnamese community, of which Westminster hosts one of the largest populations in the state.
Pham additionally voluntarily took on the role of spokesperson for the department.
He also creates Vietnamese newspaper ads and radio announcements to keep non-English speakers apprised of important news and information coming out of the department. He has had this role for 10 years now.
Pham and other Westminster officers are on their way this week to participate in a four-day, nearly 420-mile biking trek—from Sacramento to Westminster—to raise money for the families of two fallen California officers.
They will ride between 50 to 100 miles each day until May 21 when they will convene the following day for a memorial ceremony honoring all fallen officers at the department’s headquarters.
“I wanted to do this before I retire, [even though] it seems like a really hard thing. But I’ve been training for it and finally have the power to do it,” Pham said.
Others believe in Pham too.
“He’s seriously one of the best guys here, one of the most stand-up guys you will ever meet,” Sgt. Eddie Esqueda said.
