Controversy Over Lomax

In response to “I Intend to See This Through,” by Melanie Lomax (Commentary, May 7):

It may seem clear to Los Angeles police commissioner Melanie Lomax that she acted properly in denying that she released confidential memos, but the mental gymnastics required to reach such a conclusion test even the most cunning legal mind. If she really wanted to make the case that she personally had the right to determine that the memos were not confidential, and that she “made them available to the SCLC” (Southern Christian Leadership Conference) after such a determination, then she had ample opportunity to do so before the leak was discovered through other means, and to make her point candidly and forthrightly to the television reporter. For her to now argue that she acted properly in releasing the memos and in denying their release reminds me of the police officers’ explanations for the stories they told (and reports they wrote) about the Rodney King beating before they knew they had been videotaped.

Those of us who consider ourselves “reasonable and fair-minded” are equally sickened by this kind of after-the-fact double talk, whether it comes from within the police force or without.

C. HOWELL ELLERMAN, Los Angeles