Positive Step for LAPD
The recent news regarding the LAPD seems to be related to police brutality, the insensitivity of its chief, and the ineffective operational response during the South-Central Los Angeles rebellion. That is why a recent report (“Foothill Police Begin Language Lessons,” Times Valley Edition, June 2) represents a very positive development for the LAPD and the community.
The Foothill Division, which is located in Pacoima, has jurisdiction over an area with a large number of Spanish-speaking residents. Spanish classes for police officers are in the spirit of the recommendations of the Christopher Commission, which suggested the need to reform a Police Department known for its emphasis on militaristic tactics rather than a community-based approach.
Police officers learning Spanish represent an effort to reach an ethnic minority that many times has been ignored by institutions of society. It is also a pragmatic answer to the potentially dangerous barrier of silence and misunderstanding which sometimes develops when a police officer responds to an emergency involving Spanish-speakers.
NESTOR FANTINI, Van Nuys
Sign up for Essential California
The most important California stories and recommendations in your inbox every morning.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
