Combining L.A. Police Forces

Regarding Chief Bernard Parks’ Jan. 29 column, a justification for his “One City, One Police Department” plan, I believe some of his points may warrant additional scrutiny. I am a member of one of those outside agencies.

Of the five agencies he listed, the departments of Recreation and Parks, General Services, Airports, the Harbor Department and the Housing Authority, only the first two rely on the city budget for support; two agencies are fully funded by their individual departments and the Housing Authority is federally funded. Airports, Harbor and the Housing Authority are in no way a “burden” to the city.

Why does LAPD need to absorb these agencies in order to cooperate with them? Is LAPD incapable of trusting anyone who does not wear an LAPD badge? Bigger does not always mean better service for less money.

If the policing agencies of the independent departments are not fully coordinated, it is because the LAPD has resisted efforts to integrate the independent agencies into its communication network and denied them access to computer records. It is only recently that this has improved and we welcome efforts at cooperation.

KENNETH L. HUERTA

San Pedro

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Parks’ assertion that the city would benefit from a merger of all city-funded law enforcement agencies under the umbrella of the LAPD is an ill-advised attempt to dilute the uniqueness of those agencies, particularly the Los Angeles City Park Rangers.

In addition to their law enforcement duties, college-educated park rangers do an array of highly technical and diverse tasks including firefighting, search and rescue, first aid and skilled maintenance repair. They also prepare and present interpretive nature and environmental programs to thousands of schoolchildren annually, indoctrinating our impressionable youth as to their responsibilities of protecting fragile parklands.

Parks claims that as an independent entity the park rangers are a burden on the city budget. But what is more efficient and cost-effective: educating a child about the wonders of nature or arresting and prosecuting the same individual as an ignorant adult?

JOSEPH DRABINISKI

Los Angeles City Park Ranger