Opinion: We give cops guns — so why are we surprised that they shoot too many people?

To the editor: Sandy Banks is right to raise the issue of gun violence by law enforcement, but she is wrong to make the police responsible for it. The source of the problem is how we define the law enforcement task and the tools we provide to carry out the task. (“Horrific videos aren’t solving police shootings, but better training might,” Opinion, July 2)

It’s folly to give officers guns, then vilify them when they use one. We as a community need to rework how we maintain public order and then provide appropriate tools to accomplish the job.

Other models like that in England, where most police do not carry guns, exist. In 2015, the Guardian newspaper reported that there were 59 fatal police shootings in the U.S. over the first 24 days of 2015 versus 55 in England and Wales for the preceding 24 years.

Americans need to look objectively at the results of our decisions and rethink our approach. And when it comes to assigning blame, we should look in the mirror.

Eric Foxman, West Hills

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To the editor: Banks accurately suggests personnel selection and improved training as two solutions. I would suggest that part of the problem is viewing American police as a single entity.

Each state and the federal government has its own system for selecting and training peace officers. California’s Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST), begun in 1956, lays out the minimum training requirements for all full-power peace officers in the state. I suggest a national POST system for all law enforcement officers in America.

To get states to buy into this system, the federal government could reimburse them for each officer who satisfactorily completes training through a reinvigorated version of the Law Enforcement Assistance Administration established in 1968.

Perhaps we should consider Germany and England, where new officers spend at least two years at police college. In my experience, basic and in-service training are critical to good policing.

Richard Goff, Ventura

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