Officers Face Criminals Using Cars as Weapons

Re “Chiefs to Seek Bans on Firing at Cars,” March 5: I am not speaking as a representative of the Maywood Police Department. This opinion is mine, as an officer, only.

It must be gratifying to The Times and other news media that they can dictate and change police policy without ever having to go through a police academy, let alone work patrol shifts enforcing the law anywhere in California. We now have two police chiefs who are apparently willing to exclude two-plus tons of moving steel as deadly weapons based on news coverage. Sadly, others will follow suit in the name of political correctness and it will be the street officers and the public who will suffer.

Now the criminals will truly have the advantage: They know most police agencies won’t pursue them anymore (thanks to The Times, once again), and now we’re telling them we can’t respond with reciprocal deadly force if they attempt to ram us or run us over. The inmates are truly running the asylum.

Sgt. Scott Anderson

Maywood

*

It’s being reported that Los Angeles Police Chief William Bratton wants to implement a policy that forbids officers from defending themselves as long as their attacker’s only weapon is a two-ton moving vehicle. In other words, criminals would be free to assault and kill officers at will as long as they use the Bratton approved “car as the only weapon” method.

Robert A. Gardner

Ventura