San Jose, Calif. -- Capt. Phan S. Ngo, a Vietnamese refugee who was airlifted out of Saigon at the end the Vietnam War, has been made deputy police chief, one of four chosen by San Jose Police Chief Rob Davis . Ngo is the highest-ranking Vietnamese-American officer on any major U.S. police department, and the first Vietnamese American to serve as a deputy chief in San Jose.
"I'm very honored and humbled," said the 43-year-old Ngo. San Jose Mayor Chuck Reed supported the decision. "I think it's great to see a Vietnamese American working his way up the ranks and I hope it will inspire a whole generation of young Vietnamese into law enforcement."
There are about 90,000 Vietnamese living in San Jose, according to the U.S. Census Bureau — more than any American city.
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