To serve and protect, no matter what

Re “Officer Injured in Rifle Attack,” Aug. 14

On Aug. 12, I said goodbye to my wife and kids and went to work like any other day. I am a police officer for the city of Los Angeles. I work Hollenbeck Division. That evening, two events occurred that were distressing for me. Early in the night, my partner and I chased a man who was trying to evade arrest on domestic violence warrants through the Ramona Gardens Housing Projects. His girlfriend, the alleged victim, was present during the arrest and was extremely angry. She called us “corrupt pigs,” among many choice words. She did not understand that we were simply doing our jobs. A few hours later, my partner and I conducted a traffic stop for a burned-out headlight. The passenger in the car met us with a hail of bullets from an AK-47 assault rifle. Again, we were just doing our jobs.

Neither event will deter me from going to work every day and serving the community of Hollenbeck Division in a professional and compassionate way. I am proud to be a police officer, and I work with some of the finest police officers in the world.

Like me or not, respect me or not, shoot at me or not, I will keep doing my job.

JOHN C. PORRAS

Los Angeles