Poll on Rampart

One of the respondents to your poll regarding the Rampart situation stated that he just didn’t know how this could happen (“Rampart Revelations Upset City Residents, Undercut Confidence,” April 9). I can’t help wondering if maybe that sentiment isn’t indicative of the real problem.

It seems that until we, the public, shake the naive notion mercilessly promoted by the LAPD that police officers are the good guys and acknowledge that the ranks of any police force are formed from a very imperfect talent pool, we may never take the necessary steps to ensure that there are real checks and balances in place to protect us from the bad judgment and sometimes evil actions that any human being might be capable of.

DONALD BARNAT

Los Angeles