Outcry Over Police Beating
Perhaps, when all of the hysteria and hullabaloo die down, some sensible answers will be found that will expose the circumstances that finally led to a few LAPD officers “blowing their tops.” For years, the LAPD has stood alone with very little or no support from the mayor, City Council, legislators, governor or citizens. They seem to be damned if they do and damned if they don’t.
There’s an analogy here with Vietnam. If you demoralize and hamstring any unit of people, they’re either going to blow up or they’re going to become ineffective.
Permissive legislation and even more permissive courts have brought us to where we are today. Repeat offenders are on the streets, perpetrators of heinous crimes are paroled, resistance to arrest is commonplace, flagrant disrespect of the law is excused, riots (as in Westwood) are condoned. Throughout all of this, the police are expected to be a cross between a benevolent Dirty Harry and Pat O’Brien.
Wake up and smell the anarchy, folks!
BARBARA MacDONALD
Frazier Park
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