Rodriguez on Police Brutality

Contrary to the commentary by Antonio H. Rodriguez (“Has Brutality Crossed the Line to Torture?” Sept. 28): When police officers defend themselves it is not “police brutality” nor “torture” and it is not because they are racists.

Despite Rodriguez’s angelic-like portrayal of suspects, a fact remains: As long as suspects continue to defy orders of police officers and instigate challenges to those orders in the streets and not in the courts--where the merits of the officer’s actions should be challenged--suspects will continue to get into fights with officers. Saying that an officer who is defending himself is committing “police brutality,” which then equates to “torture,” stretches things so far that one cannot help question the reasonableness of Rodriguez’s remarks.

ADAM M. SANDLER

Sherman Oaks