Sadism mingles with stupidity in police Lt. Mike Smith’s one-man crusade to seize condoms from prostitutes (“The Beat Goes On,” 12/5). With HIV infection rates once again on the rise, an official representative of the D.C. government is boasting gleefully about taking, as Smith puts it, “10,000 rubbers” from the city’s most at-risk population. New chances to spread AIDS and other diseases are created every time Smith adds to his bizarre collection.

Aggressive community policing? More like a sign of this out-of-control cop’s reckless contempt for efforts to stem a lethal epidemic.

Columbia Heights