To the editor: Your article about Mayor Karen Bass's focus on officer morale in her search for the next chief of the Los Angeles Police Department assured me, once again, that I had done the right thing by voting for her.
Instead of focusing on checking every box on progressives' wish list, Bass appears to understand that no amount of criminal justice reform will help the city if we can't recruit and retain enough police officers to maintain even basic staffing, let alone increase it.
Yes, officer morale is important if we expect LAPD officers to sign up, train, work, and remain on the force. If LAPD officers feel that their work is undermined by policies that do not deter crime, they will defect and move to other cities that have stricter policies. And when they do, Los Angeles loses and its residents are less safe.
Thank you, Mayor Bass. Please keep doing what you are doing.
Michael Krumme, Los Angeles
