Yagman on L.A. Police Department
How sad that when constructive criticism might prove productive Stephen Yagman (Column Left, “Back to the Bad Old Days at the LAPD,” July 10) only seeks to justify his incorrect and predetermined conclusions, rather than seriously explore the current state of the Los Angeles Police Department. To label the LAPD “a racist department” and claim that Daryl Gates’ LAPD “never really went away” only reflects Yagman’s extraordinary ignorance of the many changes that the LAPD has undergone during the last four years.
One example is the unique and groundbreaking prejudice reduction program, designed in conjunction with the Professional Advisory Committee to the LAPD, that the department has implemented from top to bottom for all sworn and civilian personnel. No other major urban police department in the U.S. has anything near the effectiveness of this program, which has sensitized department personnel to issues of religious, racial and gender prejudice, and many in fact now look to the LAPD as a leader in this area of training.
RICHARD A. WESTON, Chair
Professional Advisory Committee
LAPD
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