West Valley Jail

Oct. 12th

I still cannot believe, even though I see it with my own eyes that West Valley will not have a jail.

After reading and hearing Chief Bratton telling us citizens how he is going to make graffiti and gang problems the number one priority makes me wonder how he will accomplish this with the few officers he has.

With the closure of West Valley Jail and the new station not having a jail his resources in West Valley will be cut in half. Response time will go up and the crime rate will follow.

You cannot keep a city safe, handle emergency calls and put criminals in jail if your officers are out of the division booking arrestees miles away at some other city.

Chief Bratton did not have anything to do with this situation but I wonder if anyone told him that he would have two fewer jails to put criminals in now that Southeast Jail is closed and West Valley is scheduled to close October 25, 2002.

If closing jails is such a good idea than why doesn't the Sheriff close down it outlying jails. You know why not ... because they know how to run an efficient jail system.

The Los Angeles Police Department's jails are in such disarray I sometimes wonder what keeps them operating.

I hope I will not have to be the one to say I told you so when the citizens of West Valley need officers but are told they have a back log of calls because there officers are some where else booking arrestees instead of being in there own division handling emergency calls.

Joan Kelley
Van Nuys