Changing of the Guard at LAPD

Regarding the unfortunate plight of Los Angeles Police Department deputy chiefs Ron Banks and Frank Piersol (“Deputy Chiefs May Face Discipline Hearing,” Aug. 12), only a naive bumpkin would not be able to read between the lines to see what was really going on. Not for one minute do I believe these two men did anything wrong, nor do I believe they are guilty of more than misguided loyalty to former Chief Willie Williams.

When one Caesar is replaced by another, those who stood close to the old ruler are expected to do the right thing and fall on their swords. Those who don’t are soon done away with in a quick and convenient manner. Banks and Piersol are, in truth, nothing more than the casualties of a political power shift within the LAPD. All hail the new Caesar, and God help the luckless soldiers whose names appear on his list of retributions.

FRED ROMERO

Simi Valley

* Re “Riordan Picks Parks as Chief of Police,” Aug. 6: Mayor Richard Riordan has chosen a qualified candidate and given him the task to resurrect a demoralized department. But is Bernard Parks going in with the deck stacked against him? The mayoral rhetoric speaks of hard-working discipline as a defining virtue. But this sort of rhetoric creates an expectation that it will be thrust upon an already overworked police force bedeviled by years of deafening criticism. Add to this scenario the reality that a massive money infusion, to offset the cultural pressure cooker with equipment and infrastructure relief, probably isn’t forthcoming in sufficient quantity.

Unless things change, it’s not looking too bright for the mayor’s legacy to me at the moment. Parks needs the flexibility to combine a variety of management styles with sufficient budget to do a good job managing a 12,000-employee labor pool. He deserves the chance to succeed. I would suggest it needs to start with better political rhetoric from his bosses.

DENNIS SANTIAGO

Hawthorne

* I find it very interesting that the new chief is black, the only black in a field of six. But I am not surprised; the city of Los Angeles is still being racist. But this may well be the last black chief. By the time he is replaced, the city power will be in the hands of the Hispanics. But then after a few Hispanic chiefs, the city may stop being racist, and then the best person for the job will get the job. Wouldn’t that be refreshing ?

CHUCK MONTERO

Huntington Beach