Law and order and the LAPD

“LAPD Chief Overruled on Teen’s Death,” Feb. 1

It’s a sad day for Los Angeles and the LAPD. An officer defending his life is faulted by four commissioners who have no hands-on knowledge of police work. Nor have any of them ever had to make that kind of split-second decision.

L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and Police Commission President John Mack can spin the decision any way they want, but it is a slippery slope for the city. The quality of LAPD applicants will decline, and retirements, attrition and defections to other agencies will escalate. Who in his right mind would want to be a police officer in a city where decisions are based on political correctness? At least Police Chief William J. Bratton had the guts to publicly support Officer Steve Garcia.

DAVID R. GILLESPIE

Bonita, Calif.

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As we have seen in the case of Rodney King and other videotaped beatings and shootings, two things tend to happen:

Act 1: The officers involved get suspended but beat any criminal charges because they claim “fear for their lives.”

Act 2: A civil suit results in millions in payout to the victims.

Epilogue: New rules written into the procedure manual.

Postscript: Another highlighted case some months or years later.

SOL TAYLOR

Sherman Oaks