Parker, the past and the future

Re “Parker’s file,” Opinion, April 19

Using a dossier compiled by J. Edgar Hoover, a known political blackmailer, to smear former Police Chief William H. Parker is tantamount to quoting Hoover and Joe McCarthy to demonize the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.

A legitimate case may be made to not name the new police administration building after Parker, but using Hoover-era smears brings The Times’ editorial standards to a level below that of whale scat.

The pre-Parker era of police corruption did not originate from the bottom up but from the top down, starting with an out-of-control City Hall.

Lew Parker

West Covina

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Not that I am a fan of Parker, but don’t you think that being on Hoover’s hit list was a badge of honor? He was certainly in good company.

Pat Mauer

Pasadena

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There would be honor all around if the new center were named for Tom Bradley, who graduated from the police force to the City Council and on to the mayor’s office.

Gilbert S. Bahn

Moorpark