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| NEWS > 15 February 2007 |
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Millions of reasons not to wid
The threat of crime, whether from an individual rapist or a terrorist group, appears to be pushing this country ineluctably towards the presumption of guilt.
An outstanding example of this trend is yesterday's proposal by an Appeal Court judge that the DNA profiles of the entire population be kept on the national criminal database.
In a BBC interview, Sir Stephen Sedley went even further, suggesting that foreign visitors to Britain should be included as well.
Thus, from the latest figures, the police might have DNA records of more than 90 million people on th... Read more
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Philadelphia Inquirer - Philad
15 February 2007
This article appeared in the above title/site.
To view it in its entirity click this link.
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Philadelphia Police Department
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Editorial | Police Discipline
It was a weekend news item, so you might have missed the Philadelphia Police Department announcement of an arrest of one of its own - on charges that a city cop had beaten a handcuffed man.
As for recalling the incident that gave rise to the misconduct charges, you'd have to have a good memory for that: The case dates to a mid-December 2005 complaint by a man who said he was assaulted during his arrest for disorderly conduct, following a foot chase in West Philadelphia.
Nearly 14 months to investigate whether one of its officers stepped over the line? Unfortunately, that seems to be standard operating procedure in Philadelphia police disciplinary matters.
Little has changed since a December 2003 city report noted: "Excessive and unexplained delays in resolving disciplinary actions are commonplace. High-ranking departmental officials allow disciplinary actions to languish, sometimes for years, without resolution."
The delays aren't solely due to the pace of the Internal Affairs Division, since District Attorney Lynne M. Abraham's office also has to review these cases. What's more, an allegation against a police officer is complicated by the fact that the alleged victim may be facing criminal charges stemming from an arrest.
In the case of Officer Chad Gugger, 29, who was suspended with the intent to dismiss him from the force when charged last week, police said that job changes within city agencies contributed to the delays.
Gugger, of course, deserves the same presumption of innocence accorded anyone facing felony charges. No matter how his case turns out, though, its handling cannot be described as swift or timely.
That is a key failing of the Philadelphia police disciplinary system in too many instances - and one that's been evident for years.
More than three years ago, the Police Department's independent, internal monitor - the Office of Integrity and Accountability - looked at police discipline. The integrity office director, Ellen Green-Ceisler, described a system that was "fundamentally ineffective, inadequate, and unpredictable." She correctly focused on the inordinate delays, because they erode citizens' trust of the police force.
"When citizens fail to see timely, tangible, and reasonable responses to their complaints of mistreatment by police, they become increasingly mistrustful, cynical, fearful, and antagonistic toward the police," Green-Ceisler's report stated.
Everyone who regarded that as a clarion call for reform should be disappointed that not much, if anything, has changed about the slow pace of resolving allegations of police misconduct.
The problem has taken on a lower profile, sure. But that's due to another factor entirely. Call it the hear-no-evil, see-no-evil strategy: The office of the Office of Integrity and Accountability has been vacant in the two years since Green-Ceisler departed to run for city judge.
By their refusal to name another monitor, Mayor Street and Police Commissioner Sylvester M. Johnson have provided further sorry evidence of the city's lack of enthusiasm for setting higher standards for police conduct.
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