To the editor:

I read with dismay that the Alexandria City Council approved a proposal to establish a community police review board. Why is the council creating a board to oversee the police when here in Alexandria we do not have the same problems as Minnesota, New York and other states?

This community and the police coexist peacefully. I have been a resident of Alexandria for the last 13 years so I can speak to that. I have only positive things to say about our police officers. Besides, creating this completely unnecessary board will only increase the budget.

Councilman Mo Seifeldein proposed that the review board be composed of, among others, “community members, teenagers, teenagers of color.”

What do these people know about police work? What are their qualifications or training to oversee the police, and in the case of teenagers to oversee anything at all? I find it extremely worrisome that teenagers who may have not even finished their education will be making decisions about government.

The police department already receives oversight from the Human Rights Commission. They are carrying out their duties with respect and care for all residents regardless of race or color. Other communities in the United States could very well learn from them about how to patrol a city without incidents. Alexandria police officers do not need additional oversight.

-Laura Perez, Alexandria