NEWS > 17 March 2007

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Pittsburgh Post Gazette - Pitt
17 March 2007

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Pittsburgh Police Department,

DA to probe conduct of police

Allegheny County District Attorney Stephen A. Zappala Jr. will review the conduct of a Pittsburgh police supervisor at the scene of an accident involving her friend to determine if any criminal charges against Cmdr. RaShall Brackney are warranted.

"We are reviewing the RaShall Brackney matter," Mike Manko, Mr. Zappala's spokesman, confirmed yesterday.

"Our office will be conducting an independent review of the facts and circumstances concerning the matter in question. That review will include reports that have already been generated and any additional work that needs to be done by this office," Mr. Manko said.

The district attorney's office has its own investigators, and Mr. Manko would not discount the possibility that they might be used in this case.

The request was made yesterday in writing by Pittsburgh Police Chief Nathan Harper. Neither he nor the district attorney's office would provide a copy of the letter to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

Cmdr. Brackney is already under investigation by the city's Office of Municipal Investigations to determine whether she violated any Police Bureau rules or regulations.

Officers have told their union president that the commander showed up at an accident scene Sunday in Lawrenceville and escorted her friend away in her personal vehicle before police could check the woman's sobriety.

Chief Harper said he wanted to ensure that the situation would be reviewed impartially by an agency outside the city. He said he did not inform Cmdr. Brackney of the referral -- a rare step that Chief Harper could not remember happening in his 30-year career.

"We just want to make sure that both investigations are being conducted and will hopefully wind up at the same time, if there's any criminal concerns here, that the DA's office takes a look at it," Chief Harper said. "It's a tough decision, but we have to keep integrity."

"I haven't really been involved at all," Mayor Luke Ravenstahl said yesterday. "I was briefed by the chief and told him to do what he views as appropriate. ... The chief felt it was necessary to pursue additional agencies, and I support him in that decision," the mayor said.

Cmdr. Brackney declined comment when notified of the district attorney's investigation by a reporter. She is a 22-year police veteran who is in charge of the East Liberty station. She said she is not allowed to discuss the situation publicly while it is under internal investigation.

Among the possible charges investigators might contemplate against Cmdr. Brackney if they find any evidence of wrongdoing are hindering apprehension, obstructing administration of law or other governmental function, and escape.

In the hours leading up to the incident, Cmdr. Brackney was out with her friends, Martha Agedew Vasser, a businesswoman from Highland Park, and Officer Torriona Mitchell, the vice president of the Fraternal Order of Police.

No one involved in the investigation has said where the group was, why they were out, or whether they consumed alcohol.

At some point after 1 a.m., police said Ms. Vasser crashed into three parked cars in the 3600 block of Liberty Avenue. She contacted Cmdr. Brackney by cell phone, and the commander arrived at the scene.

Both Chief Harper and FOP President James J. Malloy confirmed that Officer Mitchell was in Cmdr. Brackney's vehicle at the accident scene.

Mr. Malloy said the three officers who responded -- Christina Davison, Stephen Lober and Robert Synowiec -- told him that Cmdr. Brackney escorted Ms. Vasser to her car, told officers that she would take her friend to the hospital, and then drove away.

Ms. Vasser never went to the hospital, and officers were unable to obtain her driver's license and registration or conduct a field sobriety test on Ms. Vasser because of Cmdr. Brackney's actions, Mr. Malloy said.

Officer Mitchell said this week she could not discuss the incident.

The responding officers notified their supervisor, Sgt. James Vogel, who in turn made Cmdr. Scott Schubert aware of the situation. The officers filed special reports, and the matter went up the chain of command to Chief Harper.

Elizabeth Pittinger, executive director of the Pittsburgh Citizen Police Review Board, applauded Chief Harper's decision to send the matter to the district attorney.

"When a city cop is suspected of engaging in criminal activity, it is best investigated by another jurisdiction," Ms. Pittinger said.

Police supervisors' conduct must be above reproach in order to maintain a department's integrity, Ms. Pittinger said.

Only five people in the bureau outrank the commanders -- the chief, deputy chief and three assistant chiefs.

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Pittsburgh Post Gazette - Pitt17 March 2007

DA to probe conduct of police

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Pittsburgh Post Gazette - Pitt
17 March 2007