Letter of the Law Tragically Futile

* On May 22, witnesses reported that Isidro Hernandez hit a cyclist and continued driving from the scene. Police sent him a letter “asking him to contact investigators,” according to The Times’ story of Aug. 25.

Why did the investigators not go to his apartment to interview him, and possibly place him under arrest at that time? This practice (of sending the letter) was described as “routine.”

I wonder if John La Bord’s life might not have been spared with somewhat more diligent police work. Perhaps in the future we can save on police salaries and those expensive vehicles they drive by authorizing letters to go out for bank robbers, drug sellers, auto thieves, rapists and even perhaps murderers. Sounds like a good program.

DON ROWAN

Placentia

* I am horrified to learn that Anaheim police “sent a letter” after Isidro Hernandez’ first hit-and-run incident in May.

It now seems that incident in which a bicyclist “flew over the hood of the car” and the killing of John La Bord on Aug. 22 may both have been deliberate.

Do the police classify running down a bicyclist in the same category as dinging a car door in a parking lot? This is symptomatic of the lack of respect bicyclists endure.

In a society in which virtually everyone is a driver, everyone seems to want to assume that the bicyclist was at fault if he or she is injured.

Now we have a brutal killing in which the driver might have watched his victim die before dumping his body. Perhaps if police had acted responsibly the young man would still be alive.

CRAIG WRIGHT

Newport Beach

* A hit-and-run suspect who sends a bicyclist airborne and over his car deserves more police attention than a mere letter in the mail.

This should not be routine for police work, as it is according to your article.

An executed warrant for arrest could have saved a young life lost more than three months after the suspect’s apparent first hit-and-run.

ROCK O. KENDALL

Laguna Hills