CRASH Insignia

* Re “Insignia of Rampart Anti-Gang Unit Raises Concerns,” Feb. 8: Kudos for exposing the sinister Los Angeles Police Department’s Rampart CRASH insignia adorning rogue officers. Having LAPD officers bear tattoos of this nature is completely outrageous and further proof that the real “street hoodlums” are the ones bearing skull tattoos underneath their badges.

I work at an immigrant community center in Pico-Union, and it is shameful that many refugees who fled their home countries because of police and government corruption arrived in Los Angeles, only to be welcomed as prey to more police and government corruption.

RICHARD C. MENDEZ

Directing Attorney, El Rescate

Los Angeles

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* For years the public and law enforcement have argued that stiff penalties for criminals lower the crime rate.

To prevent further police scandals in the future, why don’t we impose stiff penalties for police who commit perjury, say, 25 years to life for each offense. We can set high bail on each one since the penalties are likewise high, ensuring that only a very few can fight their cases out of custody, just like common citizens accused of serious offenses.

Certainly jailing an innocent person on perjured testimony is a very serious offense, or at least it should be. After all, everyone wants to “get tough on crime.” Or does getting tough only apply to the citizenry, who don’t have a strong union?

MIGUEL ROSALES

Cerritos

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* I read in utter amazement your Feb. 6 story in which Chief Bernard Parks, supposedly acknowledging the seriousness of the Rampart scandal, asks the city and taxpayers to give his department an additional $9 million to fix the problem. Let me understand this correctly: The department is infested with corruption, some of which has again been exposed, and the way to solve the problem is to give it lots more money to police itself.

LAPD’s long-standing refusal to reform or police itself is a major part of the problem. Los Angeles needs an independent, well-funded civilian review board with extensive powers of oversight, access to all LAPD files and the ability to discipline those who violate our public trust. The world’s greatest city deserves no less.

JOHN RAPHLING

Venice