Police Guns

As a first-line supervisor of narcotics detectives and a member of the Los Angeles Police Department for the last 25 years, I was enraged to read the quotes by our former chief regarding the possible revamping of our basic weapon.

The public should remember that State Sen.Ed Davis made only two significant contributions to our department during his reign. The first was that due to his lack of foresightedness he singlehandedly brought about affirmative action by failing to recognize and promote the women of the LAPD. Second, he augmented a program known as “Team Policing.” The people who watched that program and most of the department would agree that team policing set us back 10 years. The one thing it accomplished was to establish a political base that put Davis into the office he now holds. Also remember that Chief Daryl F. Gates dismantled this program 30 seconds after he took over. Sen. Davis then rambles on about the criminals, implying they don’t use Uzis (automatic weapons).

The former chief should wake up to the fact that law enforcement people throughout Southern California, including the LAPD, are continuously taking weapons like Uzis and MAC-10s off the criminals. The public should be reminded that there is a war going on in the streets of Los Angeles and we are not winning. We are being saturated with drug traffickers from Colombia who care little for human life. It is only a question of time until you will begin to see sustained fire fights on our streets, as are being seen in south Florida now. What really makes my day is seeing quotes from a man who personally hasn’t seen any kind of action in 40 years.

MICHAEL J. MURPHY

Los Angeles

Murphy is a sergeant in the Narcotics Division of the LAPD.