Dueling Views on Huntington Beach Police

The Jan. 26 letters were divided two and two. Those supporting Police Chief Ron Lowenberg were both residents of Huntington Beach and those opposing were from surrounding communities. Being a member of this community makes us very aware of what’s going on around us.

During the July 4 weekend, the police did exactly what was touted strongly by the news media. Previous to 1996, we saw the revelers making a mockery of our community and literally spitting at authority. We were gratified to see the City Council finally took steps to elevate the pursuit of the rowdy bunch. The police acted, and when push came to shove, the members of the City Council abdicated any responsibility. Reminds me of my kids when they were caught with their hands in the cookie jar and said, “Who, me?”

Now council members Dave Sullivan and Tom Harman have turned vindictive since the recent election and have directed their ire on the very agency that has made Huntington Beach the city that it is today.

As an interested resident of this community, I feel strongly that a commission is needed, not one to oversee the Police Department, but to direct its attention to the City Council, the most wasteful agency in our city.

EDMUND J. SAKOWICZ

Huntington Beach

* I would like to applaud the Huntington Beach City Council for recognizing “trouble in Camelot.”

I believe that a safe and wholesome community is a common goal to both the Police Department and the citizens of Huntington Beach. It does appear that the means of attaining these goals are not in sync between the two factions.

Judging by his comments, Police Chief Ron Lowenberg is out of touch with the desires of the community.

At no time has it been suggested that the citizens’ advisory panel perform police work.

The citizens have not only a right but an obligation to tell that agency how to accomplish the goals of the community. The agency’s obligation is to commit, using their expertise, to follow the guidance and desires of the community they serve.

The values of the community and its citizens must not be ignored by government agencies. The forum suggested by the City Council is a perfect way to communicate this to the Huntington Beach Police Department.

PATRICIA RAYMOND

Huntington Beach