Letters to the Editor: Does anyone think LAPD cops have earned $123 million in raises?

To the editor: Thank you, City Councilman Mike Bonin, for alerting us that the union representing rank-and-file Los Angeles Police Department officers wants raises totalling $123 million for its members, at a time when some cops are accused of wrongly labeling arrestees as gang members and falsifying records in order to cover their tracks.

I am tired of having my tax money pay for these people, hired as if they were responsible adults sworn to uphold the law, rather than the teenage delinquents they pretend to be, above the law and beneath it. I am more than tired of paying the enormous legal costs that result from their actions, especially when the real needs of the citizens go unmet.

Instead, give my tax dollars to the public library to set up and stock Little Free Library stands on every neighborhood corner, so that each child can have a book to read during this time when the schools and libraries are closed. Bring the books to the children — $123 million should cover it.

Sarah Starr, Los Angeles

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To the editor: As a resident in Bonin’s Los Angeles City Council district, I do not agree with many of his policies. He does make some good points in his op-ed article on the city’s fiscal emergency, however.

I wouldn’t expect him to discuss the politics of the situation, so I would like to make a couple of observations.

First, many people are scared. Since the killing of George Floyd, the public has been bombarded with images of massive unrest and violence in the streets. I suspect our local officials determined that now is not the time to risk a police walkout. It seems they were “damned if they did, damned if they didn’t.”

Second, I’m disappointed that the police unions showed no empathy with the vast majority of the people they serve. The stresses due to the pandemic, especially the economic ones, are clearly taking a toll. The police union and its members may suffer politically in the future as a result.

Only time will tell if these choices were right or wrong.

Mitchel Kadish, Venice