Police Cases

Re “A Tearful Perez Gets 5 Years,” Feb. 26: I was pleased to learn that the president of the LAPD police union, Ted Hunt, urged the judge to sentence Rafael Perez to the maximum allowed term rather than accept his plea deal. Although the judge did not follow the recommendation, it is reassuring to know that the police union has taken a firm stand against the corruption in its ranks.

In other cities, one hears of police unions acting against the public interest and closing ranks to thwart corruption investigations. It is commendable that the L.A. police union will be taking the high road and will work with the authorities to root out the shocking abuses that have come to light through Perez’s courageous testimony.

SCOTT RYCHNOVSKY

Irvine

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The real culprit of the Rampart scandal is the L.A. County judicial system, which was too negligent to catch any of the hundreds, maybe thousands, of occasions of perjury, fabrication and misrepresentation.

The first order of business of the judicial system is to determine the truth. Regardless of race, creed, color, financial status or type of accusation. Ask anyone who has been through the judicial system; the last thing the courts deal with, if at all, is the truth. Perjury is endemic and not prosecuted.

TOM CAHALANE

Manhattan Beach

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Re the Diallo verdict, Feb. 26:

Four NYPD police officers shoot 41 bullets at an unarmed black man. The man loses his life, and the officers don’t even receive a slap on the wrist! I’m glad I’m not a minority living in the state of New York.

I commend Amadou Diallo’s family for their calm in the aftermath of this miscarriage of justice.

MARYANNE ROSE

Laguna Niguel

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How could you be so blatantly irresponsible with the headline, “4 White Officers Are Acquitted in Death of Diallo”? The headline right next to that was, “A Tearful Perez Gets 5 Years.” That did not have any mention of his race or ethnicity. Is that fair journalism?

Why was it important that “white” had to be a description? Maybe the headlines should have read, “ 4 Black Jurors Agree With Acquittal of 4 Officers.” If it’s racial separation you want, your headlines are sure to make it so.

ALAN SHAPIRO

Santa Clarita

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Anyone who’s been stopped by police knows that it’s standard procedure to produce identification when requested. Yet the jury believed the officers’ testimony that they thought Diallo had a gun. What is not disputed is that Diallo fell dead with 19 bullets in him, holding his wallet in his hand.

Once again, four police officers have been accused of harming a black man and were acquitted. The Simi Valley jury didn’t convict in [the Rodney King beating case] either. Is it racism? The continuing saga of the Rampart Division proves what people of color have been saying to closed minds about local police. Yet many of those naysayers, in the wake of Waco and Ruby Ridge, have painted the FBI as the bad guys. However, the Branch Davidians and Randy Weaver had guns and killed those in law enforcement. King and Diallo did not.

DON A. NORMAN

Los Angeles