On October 25th, the New York City Police Department (NYPD) held a promotion ceremony at the Queens Police Academy, honoring nearly 200 officers. Acting Police Commissioner Thomas Donlon presented each officer with their new ranks and certificates, including over a dozen Asian American officers. Among them, Chinese American Captains Ronald Cheng and Sam Zheng were promoted to Deputy Inspectors.
The ceremony recognized a total of 172 officers across various ranks, including 13 Asian Americans who received promotions to positions such as Detective, Sergeant, and Lieutenant. Notably, the highest-ranking Asian American officers promoted that day were Ronald Cheng and Sam Zheng. Cheng began his career with the NYPD in July 2005 and has served nearly 20 years in the Patrol Services Bureau and the Housing Bureau.
Earlier in his career, Cheng patrolled the 122nd precinct for five years and then served as a Sergeant at the 71st precinct for four years. After his promotion to Lieutenant, he was assigned to the 77th precinct for special assignments. In his past three years as an officer, Cheng has held the position of deputy inspector in the fourth, fifth, and sixth housing precincts. He currently leads the fourth housing precinct, overseeing all government housing in the Manhattan lower downtown area, which includes a significant number of Chinese residents.
A proud graduate of SUNY Stony Brook with a bachelor’s degree in biology, Cheng is fluent in Cantonese. He expressed that his promotion is a recognition of the hard work he has put into his career. Reflecting on his position as the first Chinese American commanding officer in the fourth housing precinct, he shared that his journey began after he became a victim of crime at a young age, inspiring him to join the NYPD. While attending college, he experienced a street attack, which fueled his desire to help the community and ensure others wouldn’t go through what he did.
At 42 years old, Cheng described his background, noting that his parents immigrated to the U.S. in the late 1970s, with his father hailing from Hong Kong. Many family members attended the ceremony to support him. As is customary following promotions, he may soon be reassigned; however, he indicated he will continue to fulfill his current role until directed otherwise. Cheng encouraged fellow Asian Americans with a motivational message: “Work hard; we have many opportunities. If you keep putting in the effort, you will see results.”
Also present at the ceremony was Mo Hu, the founding president of the Asian American Police Officers Association (AAPEX), who emphasized the significance of Cheng and Zheng’s promotions. He noted that one was born in New York while the other immigrated at the age of 14, highlighting the contributions made by immigrants and their children through hard work and determination. Since 2019, the association has supported the professional development of Asian American officers, and currently, 25 out of 61 members have reached the rank of Deputy Inspector or higher, with 19 having been promoted in the last three years.
Among those promoted to probationary Sergeants that day were Qiang Chen and Eric Liang, along with other officers such as Karyn B. Kim, Sonia C. Yi, Vincent Ching, Edward Lam, Jack Deng, Nicholas Hom, and Monica Chong.
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