Last Updated 3/19/08

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Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor:
Several years ago, elected officials from the city of West Hollywood made a complaint about the treatment of gays by deputies of the Los Angeles County Sheriff Department. The officials complained that deputies from the West Hollywood station had targeted gays during a sting operation. Not only did Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca immediately remove the deputies, he went even further by replacing the station captain. Also, these changes were made without a complete investigation.

Can someone please explain to me why Compton’s mayor has not been afforded the same respect and dignity of his office? Let us not simply dismiss the mayor’s concern as petty. It does not happen in other contract communities.

I find it a bit peculiar that Sheriff Lee Baca and Asst. Sheriff Tanaka met with Compton’s city manager to discuss “rumors” the city had hired a consulting firm to bring back Compton Police Department. At least the city manager met with them. Just remember, by the time Compton’s residents knew anything about the possible disbanding of Compton Police Department, the Sheriff’s Department had already had new patrol vehicles emblazoned with the Los Angeles County Sheriff Department emblem and prepared to patrol Compton’s streets.

Sheriff Lee Baca and then Captain Chuck Jackson were never honest and forthcoming with the citizens of Compton. They were not forthcoming then and it appears the Sheriff’s Department is not now. They promised the citizens of Compton any and everything. We were told the level of contracted deputies would be sufficient to patrol the streets of Compton.

To hear Captain Ryan suggest that getting rid of the Sheriff Department would have a disastrous effect on the advances they have made is utterly ridiculous and insulting. In fact, what have you done? When I look at the crime statistics I see some impressive numbers. That is until I see how many crimes have actually been solved!!!! Jill Leovy of the Los Angeles Times Homicide Report recently asked, during a radio program, a very important question: How many murderers are on the streets in Los Angeles county? If homicide and assault cases are still open, guess who is among us?

This is a department that is heavy on public relations, but weak on substance. I too had a concern as to the inclusion of Suge Knight’s name on Compton’s first gang injunction. If you would go this far to embarrass Compton’s mayor, what would you do to Compton’s citizens? But what is new? What other city do you know of in Los Angeles county where a former station captain runs against the incumbent mayor? And now the Sheriff Department is scratching its collective heads wondering why there is not a better relationship with Compton’s elected officials.

Let me also remind the readers of this newspaper that we still have a convicted felon still dribbling his assertions that Compton Police Department was corrupt. Former Mayor Omar Bradley has not once named a corrupt officer. How dare he besmirch the honor of officers who served Compton well. The timing of the resurrection and emergence of Omar Bradley and his comic book is eerie. By the way, never once have I heard Sheriff Lee Baca raise his voice in support of the officers his department took on from Compton Police Department. Can I ask him what do you really think?

Ironically, at the same time Compton’s former convicted mayor was meeting with Sheriff Lee Baca to dissolve Compton Police Department, Omar Bradley and his convicted patriots were involved in a nefarious and diabolical scheme to drain Compton’s resources.

This is not about what law enforcement agency will patrol Compton. It is about the right of Compton to decide what is best for the community’s growth and prosperity. We do not want a referendum. We want action and a commitment to earnestly study the issue. Royce Esters is correct when he asserts the citizens need local control. This is how you change communities. The idea of a metropolitan police department is quite creative and innovative. 
Let me remind Sheriff Lee Baca that when the citizens begged and cried for you to let the residents vote on the issue of disbanding Compton Police Department, you refused to listen. Since you had the vote of Compton’s city council, you certainly did not feel it was necessary for you to come to the community. Should I remind you that two of them are now convicted felons, as well as the former city manager?

Shame on you!!! Why do you now want to bypass the Compton’s duly elected officials?
—Robert Sampson
Compton resident


Dear Editor:
I hope that this get printed. First of all, how come if the mayor is going to have a study conducted regarding bringing back our own PD, how come he don’t do a sit down and get the issues out with the Sheriff’s Department first if he hasn’t already?

And once that is done and there’s no compliance from LASD, yes, drop them like hot rocks. Now, if they’re trying give hope a chance. I am for our own, but do we have the money? Then I see where he said in the council meeting that MLES, the school (police) department and the college (police) department, he wants to combine them as metro police. That’s fine; do the city have the money to send the MLES code enforcement officers as well as the security officers to the extended academy since its policy that those men and women have to have a basic post in order to get their jobs? if I am wrong, someone please reply and correct me.

You have the code enforcement officers writing citation like the Sheriff but only misdemeanors. That’s fine. How come the Sheriff don’t work very close with our own people and not treat them like dirt. Yes, I said that.

Next, I was at the hamburger stand and watched and heard the whole thing when the code enforcement officers called LASD to have a deputy respond to assist them, not to harasses them. The older code officer I think was the supervisor. He was trying to talk to the deputy, but the deputy was rude, nasty and outright not professional with a city employee. Why? And when it got very heated, the code supervisor advised his guys to walk away before it got out of hand, and this deputy called a battalion of other deputies to come to his rescues – for what? Was he that scared? If he was in fear, as the cops say, he needs a new profession like plumbing. Why would a code enforcement officer put his job on the line and threaten a cop when they have some of the same license from a academy, why?

Why does it seem to a lot of Compton citizens that almost every deputy in a patrol car is playing politics? What is it they want to gain from this? Why do they dislike our officers so much ? Why is the mayor and the council sitting back on their butts and allowing this to happen over and over again? Do you see code enforcement trying to be L.A. County? No! But you see now almost every deputy trying to be a code enforcement officer. How come the Sheriff’s Departmet wants everyone to depend on them when they don’t care about our city? They don’t even fake it. At least if you fake it we would feel more at ease and might rally to keep them.

But to do things like what I seen a few weeks back and call all of those resources out their over a verbal dispute between two professionals and one was a supervisor from the city of Compton code enforcement? Why does this agency hate our city so much? Why is it when a feedback comes through that tells the truth, The Bulletin will not print it?

How come the MLES department doesn’t rely on the school (police) department more, who I see from time to time back each other up on certain calls? How come we don’t have our own people patrol the parks? I see all of our guys stuck at a city building. If they need help, who will they call on for help? Certainly not LASD. For what? It will take them more than two-plus hours. It’s not important to them what our officers want or if they get hurt. I see it as lets allow it to happen and we will say I told you so.

Once again, why are our elected officials allowing their officers to be treated like this? We know Councilman Hall wouldn’t care less about them – remember, he is one of them, not one of us. Not a citizen to the heart. LASD is his family, not the city of Compton. Maybe we the citizens, the seniors, have to fight for our own officers and for our own department back!
.
—A concerned Compton citizen


Editor’s Note:
The Bulletin does not censor letters to the editor submitted by members of the community. Any citizen is entitled to voice concern, question actions taken by public officials or otherwise express views, whether or not the newspaper staff agrees with the position taken by the writer.

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