Report on LAPD Hiring, Training

* Re “Boom for LAPD Hiring but Not for Training Results,” editorial, April 19:

I have a few words of wisdom to correct your editorial and the Blue Marble report: Go further. I spent 31 years in the department (1962-1993). I supervised and trained many individuals over these years, watching many excel, some die, some destruct and some go to prison. Having a premier organization aside, with quality selection from the broad range of America, we sometimes failed with human nature. Though we also maintained a great, and professional, company. I know whereof I speak.

I reentered as a civilian investigator last year to investigate the mass of persons that would be necessary to complement the mayor’s Plan 10,000.

The candidates that some very experienced retired detectives, along with some very brilliant young officers, are investigating to hire as Los Angeles police officers are being chosen by the best principles I have ever seen. They are the best educated to be hired in years. The background years of their lives were completely dissected to look for any character flaws. They were then investigated by a blue-ribbon audit team. They were then selected and finally hired. These were the best candidates I had seen in years. Very difficult words for me, as a member of a group proud to believe that better officers would not come along.

The Blue Marble report is wrong. Two areas of concern--firearm training and self-defense--are being examined as world models by other law enforcement agencies. Los Angeles citizens have a right to be proud of their Police Department, and to continue to be confident in the quality of officers they are seeing graduate from the best training academy in the world, the Los Angeles Police Academy.

STAN NELSON

San Pedro