Letters to the Editor: Kevin de León wants to serve his constituents. So why isn’t he resigning?
When a police officer kills someone, the first rule of law enforcement is: Don’t do it again.
Kevin de León, a former Los Angeles County Supervisor, wants to be a political savior. So he wants to do the same thing in the California Legislature: Serve your constituents.
He was supposed to tell the voters of Los Angeles County that they were better off with him at the helm. He could have been a leader for change, an example for the rest of the state. Instead, he got elected to political office, then lost his job.
Now he is claiming he was just following his conscience. His defense of his behavior is laughable.
De León was a member of the Los Padres Cholos Police Department at the time of his arrest. That is one of the largest law enforcement agencies in California. He was also a vice president of the union that represents Los Angeles County law enforcement.
In the letter that started this controversy, De León stated that he had committed no crime. When this was pointed out to him, he refused to apologize, claiming his conviction for public drunkenness for which he served a probationary sentence was “a blemish on my record.”
That’s ridiculous. If he had been convicted for possession of an open container of alcohol, nothing would’ve happened to his career, especially if he hadn’t violated alcohol laws in the past and had no criminal record.
De León had a duty to take action if he believed his actions were criminal. He should have been fired, not allowed back on the police force.
So let’s get one thing straight: A law enforcement officer is always expected to serve his community, not himself.
What happened with De León is that someone in his community pushed him to a point where he couldn’t resist his impulse to serve his city and community.
We live in a free society, not a nation of laws. This is basic fairness.
People have a right to vote for their leaders based on their performance. That doesn’t mean that we have to like
