Sheriff Patrols to the Rescue

Talk about anger!

Your Sept. 6 article regarding the use of Sheriff’s Department deputies to patrol portions of Long Beach indicates that certain groups are angry. These people apparently object that there will be less opportunity for citizen review, that the matter should be further studied or the morale of the Long Beach officers will be adversely affected.

I live in the 5th Council District where there are no assigned patrol cars, where a response to a 911 call can (and often does) take hours, where the crime rate is steadily increasing and where traffic enforcement is virtually nonexistent.

It will take years for the staffing of the Long Beach Police Department to be built up to adequate levels. Just how long do the opposing politicians and special interest groups expect us to go without police protection? Does it make sense to hold the lives and property of Long Beach citizens hostage to their concerns while we wait for the Long Beach Police Department to be rebuilt?

Thank God the Long Beach City Council saw fit to throw a life preserver to a drowning man even if others would rather wait until after the drowning to determine if intervention was required. Please forgive me, folks, for making such a fuss thrashing about in the water before I sink.

BILL NIEMEYER

Long Beach