Los Angeles Police Probe

Having worked in and with various components of the Los Angeles justice system for over 30 years, I am certainly not surprised by the revelations of police misconduct at the LAPD Rampart Division nor do I believe that such conduct is confined to Rampart. Certainly a thorough investigation is called for, but we are fooling ourselves if we think that the atmosphere that allowed this conduct is solely the responsibility of the Police Department.

The police are confident that they can plant evidence, lie to obtain search warrants and lie in court without consequence. Why? Because it is the rare judge who will suppress evidence in a community of voters who demand that those who run for office pass the “tough on crime” litmus test. The media feed this fear of crime even though all indicators are that crime is decreasing.

The public’s justified sympathy for victims of crime and the so-called need for closure often includes the cry that “somebody has to pay.” The police respond to that cry, and sometimes “somebody” turns into “anybody.” As we make demands for more responsible policing of the police, let’s look at the bigger picture.

ANNA ROBERTS

Los Angeles

* So whom do Rampart Division residents call when they see a suspicious-looking prowl car in their neighborhood?

JERRY MARSHALL

Mojave

* Re the Rampart investigation: Keep in mind that none of this would probably have surfaced if it had not been for Chief Bernard Parks’ tough, no-nonsense disciplinary system. Since Parks’ implementation of the new system, which identifies and tracks all complaints, the number of officers who have faced discipline within the LAPD has skyrocketed. Record numbers of officer terminations and suspensions are evidence of that fact.

There is no doubt in any officer’s mind that misconduct, of any kind, will not be tolerated and that allegations will be thoroughly investigated and adjudicated. It is interesting to observe the tug of war that has begun over who is going to have a piece of the investigative pie. There are a host of organizations and individuals, both public and private, who express opinions, concerns, remedies and the direction that must be taken. All of these parties are amateurs. The chief of police is the professional, and it is necessary for the public to allow the chief to do the job for which he is paid.

DANIEL WITMAN

Chino

* Al Martinez’s Sept. 22 column, “Good Cops, Bad Cops,” no doubt was written from an empathetic point of view but misses the target. As other letter writers have noted, the safe feeling people (especially white people) may get from LAPD officers when they are close by is replaced by the fear of being tormented, held captive or worse for people of color and gays in particular. I’m white; when I’m out in Hollywood alone, it’s OK. Venturing out with my black friends, I’ve been handcuffed and forced to lie in the gutter of Hollywood Boulevard for the crime of being there. It’s all in how they look at you.

What Chief Parks endorses involves demonizing the usual suspects and making jailbirds out of a few as “examples.” This problem cannot be solved by sending more people to rot in jail. It requires a systematic adjustment of internal procedures and accountability and, most important, the attitude of all the department’s employees and the top echelon of city government. They have to care, and they haven’t had to before.

Parks and Mayor Richard Riordan must pay for this lack of oversight. They were given a job and failed the public’s trust miserably. If resignation is what’s required, let’s get it on the table.

DAVE BROWN

Palm Springs

* Now you know why the public needs guns--to protect themselves from the police. I think it’s about time that the City Council relieves Chief Parks.

JAY A. ARCHER

Glendale

* I fail to understand the intensity of the public and media reaction regarding the current L.A. police probe. I thought one’s character didn’t matter if the economy was good.

DICK FISCHER

Burbank

* Has anyone noticed that upon his release from prison, Javier Francisco Ovando was turned over to the custody of the very group who tried to murder him and cover it up? Isn’t that a little insane? If anything at all happens to him while in their custody, the police will never be able to explain what happened. Talk about a scandal!

W.D. KERR

La Crescenta