Dear Editor: I was surprised that only two letters were written in response to the open letter from Downey police officers.

Do Downey residents care if the city disbands the police department and contract out to the county for police services? Currently, the Sheriff’s Department has a contract with the cities of Pico Rivera, Norwalk and Paramount, all of which surround our lovely city of Downey. Do Downey residents really want the sheriff’s to patrol our streets? (Keep this question in mind as you read the rest of this letter.)

Let me tell you of an incident that happened in Compton. (Compton disbanded their police force several years ago and have contracted police services with the county since then.) A couple of years ago, a Compton city councilwoman had called the Sheriff’s Department on a disturbance call requesting the sheriff’s to respond. She was told that “no deputy was available to respond” due to the deputies assisting a neighboring city which is also patrolled by the Sheriff’s Department.

I don’t know about the rest of the residents of Downey, but I do not want to be told that.

So I ask the question again: do Downey residents really want the Sheriff’s Department to patrol our streets?

Arnold Lopez

Downey

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Published: April 3, 2014 - Volume 12 - Issue 51