L.A. Police Nab Betting Bowlers

The Times reported that the Los Angeles Police Department’s vice squad (apparently with time on their hands, and no poker games or football/baseball pools on their conscience) cracked down on housewives who bowl for dollars (a $15.50 pot), using valuable time and tax dollars to, first, bring this penny-ante gambling ring to justice and then, later, to retrieve the citations issued in this righteous bust (Metro, Oct. 28). The vice officers’ commander defended the action by saying they had no choice but to respond to the “tip” they had received.

On Aug. 29, The Times reported that four women were killed and two other people were wounded at a birthday party in East Los Angeles, even though prior to the shooting, one of the victims had called the 911 emergency line for protection and assistance, with the “tip” that her estranged husband was on his way over with a gun to kill her. The Sheriff’s Department defended its non-action by saying it did not have the resources available to respond to every call and, therefore, had to make judgments on the calls received.

Is it just me, or is something wrong with this picture?

ELAINE DOERFLING, Hermosa Beach