Pubdate: Thu, 04 Dec 2003 Source: Dallas Morning News (TX) Copyright: 2003 The Dallas Morning News Contact: http://www.dallasnews.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/117 SCRUTINIZING A SCANDAL: BOTH PROBES WARRANTED IN FAKE-DRUG CASE In dueling press conferences this week, city and county officials both vowed to do what their federal counterparts have failed to do so far - get to the bottom of the fake-drug scandal. We are going to hold them to their word. Dallas County District Attorney Bill Hill was smart to appoint defense lawyer Dan Hagood as a special prosecutor in the case. He is to determine if any state laws were broken that warrant indictment in state court. While describing former Dallas detective Mark Delapaz as his starting point, the one-time Dallas County prosecutor pledged to follow the investigation down whatever roads it leads. Mr. Hagood can lay claim to an impressive resume, as well as to a reputation for integrity and independence. As for following roads wherever they lead, that is essential - even if some of those roads should happen to lead back to the district attorney's office itself. After all, the dozens of innocent people who were wrongly accused in the fake-drug scandal weren't just arrested but prosecuted. And all along, one of the nagging questions has been whether the office's command staff had figured out that something was amiss well before Jan. 16, 2002, when prosecutors began dismissing cases and letting people out of jail. This independent prosecutor must remain truly independent, and his findings must be made public. That is non-negotiable. Over at City Hall, Mayor Laura Miller and other City Council members promised to come forward with more specifics tomorrow but told the public to expect an intensive internal investigation of police procedures with an eye toward determining how this all happened and who was responsible. The city has a couple of options. It could leave it to Dallas City Attorney Madeleine Johnson to head the investigation. Or it could appoint an independent fact-finding panel in the style of the Christopher Commission, which investigated police procedures in Los Angeles a decade ago. Whatever its form, the city's investigation should take a hard look not just at the conduct of the recently acquitted Mr. Delapaz but also that of his supervisors in the chain of command. It also should delve into the issue of the field tests that determine if drugs are real and explain how it is that so many narcotics officers vouched for the authenticity of pounds of evidence that turned out to be bogus. All of this should be done quickly and transparently. Ordinarily, competing investigations might only muddy the waters, but not in this case. Nearly two years after the fake-drug scandal first came to light, there still are plenty of questions. What we're short on are the answers. - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom