Michael Arnold

Re “Coroner Charges Police ‘Overkill,’ ” July 26: The shooting of Michael Arnold certainly points up the poor training of some of our law enforcement personnel when they shoot 106 rounds to bring down one victim. Perhaps the police use of firearms should be taught by the infantry, a unit that produced snipers who could and often did kill their enemy with a single shot.

WAYNE LINCOLN

Los Angeles

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A Sheriff’s Department spokesman tells TV reporters that deputies “were in obvious fear for their own safety and the safety of other citizens who may have been in the area.” Where was their concern when it became their turn to fire? One hundred and six shots fired, hitting nearby buildings and entering bedrooms, cannot be considered as fear for the safety of others.

Many of the police departments in this country are out of control. Few citizens will disagree that the police forces have a terrible criminal element to deal with. Their frustration with not being able to apprehend many, or at seeing those apprehended receive light sentences and early parole, is understandable. This, however, does not give them the freedom to engage in what I call a new American phenomenon--police rage.

WILLIAM L. DAVID

Los Angeles