Support Bratton and the Cop on the Beat

Why is Steve Lopez so angry with Bill Bratton? Ever since Bratton’s appointment to chief of the L.A. Police Department, Lopez has written scathing reviews of his persona. “Bratton Has More Than First and Last Words on the LAPD” (Oct. 6) criticized him for speaking quickly. Lopez may be a clever writer, mimicking Bratton’s fast talk in his column by omitting commas, but his criticisms of Bratton seem petty.

If Bratton can help decrease the crime rate in L.A. as quickly as he did in New York City, then I say who cares if he talks fast and hobnobs with the Hollywood elite?

Melody Lin

Los Angeles

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I keep reading that the new LAPD chief has an enormous ego and is a world-class publicity hound. I have followed his career over the years, and I believe that this is unfair criticism of Chief Patton, er, Bratton.

Tom Murtaugh

Los Angeles

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L.A. is probably the most difficult city to police in the industrialized world. If Bratton is to succeed, he must be able to hire and retain top cops. He can’t do this by offering a starting salary of as little as $44,537 a year. Police salaries must be raised dramatically. The nominal cost to property owners would be more than offset by graffiti abatement alone. Everyone benefits from safer streets, especially business owners.

It’s time to move beyond ancient grievances and do something tangible to make L.A. a better city.

Tim Broz

San Pedro

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It’s not a question of Bratton succeeding, it’s a question of the LAPD and Los Angeles succeeding. He’s one person and will try to introduce some strategies that worked in New York City. The city must give him a chance and, more important, the men and women of the LAPD must be open-minded to his ideas. If the strategies and policies are successful, the LAPD and residents will be the beneficiaries.

Gary Gorman

Retired Police Officer

NYPD