U.S. Pressure for LAPD Reform

* Re “U.S. Presents Demands to LAPD,” June 2: To read the statements of City Council members Mike Feuer and Laura Chick is to read the views of leaders in absolute denial about what has happened and is happening in L.A. Feuer says he embraces the “Justice Department participating with us in reforming the Police Department.” Chick states that she doesn’t want the “federal government running our Police Department.” Though she says, “We need outside pressure applied on the Police Department to ensure that the reforms are real, substantive and lasting.”

Feuer, Chick, the council, the mayor, the city attorney and the Police Commission were supposed to be that “outside pressure” to “ensure that the reforms are real, substantive and lasting.” Each and every one of them failed in that mission. And failed miserably. This idea that somehow these same local officials can suddenly accomplish something that they have already failed to do is truly a case of leaders living in a world of denial about their capabilities.

The reason the federal government should take over is because the local government failed to uphold constitutional rights that it swore to guarantee to the people of Los Angeles. That’s not a complicated issue.

MARTIN OSTRYE

South Pasadena

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The intervention by the U.S. attorney general’s office in remediation of LAPD problems is outrageous. California has a unitary form of government. Local government is chartered by and is subordinate to the state. The state attorney general, Bill Lockyer, ought to be spearheading the move to clean up city problems in California.

Gov. Gray Davis should be defending his turf as the elected leader of the largest state. If we no longer are willing to defend the federal system, let’s dispense with local government elections altogether and have appointments from Washington.

TERRY E. QUINN

Van Nuys