Readers React: Sheriff workers convicted; what about their bosses?

To the editor: It never fails. Staffers are told to rise to a higher level than their superiors and display the courage to stand up to those in control of their future promotions and job status. (“Six L.A. County sheriff workers get prison for obstructing jail probe,” Sept. 23)

Were the six in the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department wrong? Yes, of course. Was the judge wrong in expecting those in power to leave a paper trail of their unethical verbal orders to their staff? Yes, of course. Is the community right in expecting former Sheriff Lee Baca and ex-Undersheriff Paul Tanaka to be charged with orchestrating and guiding their staffers’ actions because we all know everyone wanted to keep their jobs, even those in charge?

When those in charge claim they had no idea what was going on, should the public be suspicious since Tanaka ran a pretty tight ship and Baca negligently let him play sheriff in charge? Yes, of course.

Politics being what it is, was it courageous for The Times to actually publish Professional Peace Officers’ Assn. Chief Brian Moriguchi’s comments about something being wrong with our system when those giving the orders are allowed to go free? Yes, of course.

Marcy Bregman, Agoura Hills

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To the editor: According to the story, the accused said that they were merely obeying orders from above. If memory serves, that is the exact same argument Hitler’s blood-drenched henchman, Adolf Eichmann, presented at his trial for murdering millions of Jews and others in the World War II death camps.

That sniveling excuse did not serve him, nor did it serve the convicted officials.

Richard Nagle, Los Angeles

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