CITY DESERVES NO LESS

I read in utter amazement your Feb. 6 story in which Chief Bernard Parks,
supposedly acknowledging the seriousness of the Rampart scandal, asks the
city and taxpayers to give his department an additional $9 million to fix
the problem. Let me understand this correctly: The department is infested
with corruption, some of which has again been exposed, and the way to solve
the problem is to give it lots more money to police itself.

LAPD's long-standing refusal to reform or police itself is a major part of
the problem. Los Angeles needs an independent, well-funded civilian review
board with extensive powers of oversight, access to all LAPD files and the
ability to discipline those who violate our public trust. The world's
greatest city deserves no less.

JOHN RAPHLING, Venice