David Chong, the first Chinese American to serve as police commissioner in a major US metropolitan area, pledges that he will make his city a better place to live in despite the difficulties of policing a city with limited resources.

In an interview with Xinhua, Chong, who was swore in as police commissioner of Mt. Vernon, New York last month, said he is very proud of being a Chinese American and will represent his Chinese heritage well and come to its rescue when the Chinese community needs help.

As the first Chinese American police commissioner, Chong said he is confident that he will not be the last, and there will be plenty of people behind him.

"Never be ashamed of who you are, never be afraid, look forward and work hard. That's my key to success," he said.

Taking his oath at an inauguration ceremony, Chong became Mt. Vernon's 10th police commissioner in 12 years, a position that has been vacant for more than two years.

Chong said many people coming here did not realize how difficult it is to police this city. "But I have the commitment of the mayor to work with me side by side and make the city a better place, and I will never give up."

He said Mayor Ernest Davis hired him for his experience, reputation and background without caring about the color of his skin and he just happened to be Chinese.

Chong has a very impressive resume. During his nearly 23 years of service with the New York Police Department (NYPD), Chong won 119 NYPD awards and medals and became the recipient of over 50 awards from various federal, state law enforcement agencies.

He was involved in different jobs, ranging from tactical patrol, undercover work, narcotics to organized crime and counter-terrorism. He started with patrolman, and worked all the way up ranks through detective, sergeant, lieutenant and commander. He was once injured in a shooting short after he joined the police, and again during Sept. 11 terror attacks when he was trapped in the World Trade Center.

Compared with his experience in NYPD, Chong said his current job at Mt Vernon is more difficult because both his material and human resources are very limited and Mt.Vernon has a population that virtually doubles its registered number of 76,000.

Chong said his priority right now is to reach out to the community to rebuild mutual trust. He also pledged to strengthen the enforcement of crimes that affect people's quality of life, for instance, drinking and fighting in the street.

"If you don't arrest somebody for the small crime, and he'll go and commit a bigger crime. My commitment is to arrest them for the small crimes so they don't have the chance for the big crimes."

Chong said when he joined the NYPD in 1980, there were very few Chinese American officers in the force. A strong desire to prove himself to his fellow officers that he could be just as good as any of them if not better urged him all along to work very hard.

Talking about the assignments in the NYPD that have given him the greatest satisfaction, he said the three years and a half he went deep undercover with the Asian gangs and Mafia at Chinatown was probably the most satisfying time of his career.

"I was able to arrest those gang members, the Chinese Mafia who have taken advantage of their fellow Chinese, and I was able to help my own community. I got many many medals for that kind of work," he recalled.

Chong not only has the courage and street savvy gained from years of undercover work with the NYPD, but also an insatiable thirst for knowledge and amazing willpower to squeeze time to study amid his press duties.

Some 20 years after he joined the police and went up the ranks, Chong decided to go back to college for further study. "It was very difficult," he said, adding that he used to study in his cars during stakeout, or deep into the night after he had worked 14 or 16 hours.

"I never stopped, just kept going and going," he said. After 18 months of night school study, he got his master degree in public administration in addition to his B.A. degree in criminal justice.

Chong started his in-depth research and study on terrorism after he joined the rescue operation and investigation of the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, and is considered one of the experts on the subject. His thorough knowledge and experience in this field impressed New York Police Commissioner Ray Kelly who asked Chong to form the NYPD's first counter-terrorism unit and made him the unit's first commanding officer.

In 2002, Chong was appointed deputy commissioner of public safety at White Plain, New York. After three and a half years in the job, he decided to retire from his position and take a teaching job at Monroe College so that he could spend more time with his family after he and his wife planned to adopt a Chinese baby girl.

But ever since he left White Plain, police commissioner job offers had kept coming in from various cities until he accepted the appointment of Mt. Vernon because he saw it as a place that really needs help.

Chong was born in Canada and spent part of his childhood there until he came to New York when he was nine. He married Patricia, an interior designer from the Netherlands. In 2005 the couple went to China and adopted Katie, a lovely baby girl who has a Chinese name Chong Xingyu, which literally means "lucky jade."

Chong said he was more than amazed when he was told that he is the first Chinese American to adopt a Chinese child with the same surname. "I think we are really lucky to have Katie," he said.

Chong plans to resume teaching and finish his PhD study when he retires from police work just to realize his lifetime dream of self improvement. "There is no reason for me at my age to get a PhD except I want to continue to go forward and don't want to stop," he said.