Buu-Van Rasih addressed the City Council on 2005 SD Police Public Safety Budget Gearing

On Monday you are making a decision on whether or not to cut 28 Community Service Officers from the San Diego Police Department. We ask you not to cut those positions for the present and to re-evaluate their role in sustaining public safety. We are very concerned about the consequences for the Multi-Cultural Community Relations Office in East San Diego, California.
The office fills the gap between the police department and the various communities served. In effect, East San Diego is the first point of entry for many refugees and immigrants( including among others, Cambodian, Ethiopian, Hmong, Lao, Somalis, Ugandan, and Vietnamese). The storefront Community Service Officers connect, through their language and cultural skills, these newcomers to the police department and other agencies including the District Attorney. Given the nature of East San Diego as a first point of entry to the wider community, it makes sense to leave in place a storefront that has proven a cost effective way of keeping these new residents as well as longer term resident safe and out of harm's way. Just last month the storefront handled 620 phone service calls and 640 office visits. In addition, they conducted 36 meetings with 500 community members. Beyond residents of East San Diego, they service the wider San Diego community including residents from Mira mesa, Linda Vista, Clairemont and Southeast San Diego. Thus their language and cultural skills serve the whole city. These observations only cover a portion of their importance for the police department and city.
In conclusion, we believe Community Services Officers are vital to the public safety and that the Multi-Cultural Community relations Office in East San Diego fill the gap between the police department and our various newcomer communities.