Al Martinez

About the author: Al Martinez is a columnist for the Los Angeles Times.

Police officers who are caught breaking the law are big news stories, but the number of "dirty" police officers is miniscule compared to the number of police officers who are willing to risk their lives to help the public remain safe. Just as there are cases of police misconduct, there are examples of police officers who died during the performance of their duty. The public should not think that all police officers are corrupt.

Editor's note: About seventy Los Angeles police officers have been implicated in various forms of misconduct in the Rampart scandal. Eight Rampart officers have been charged with crimes, and more than one hundred criminal convictions have been overturned due to police misconduct.

There's nothing in society more odious than...