Pubdate: Sun, 17 Dec 2006
Source: Sun Herald (MS)
Copyright: 2006, The Sun Herald
Contact:  http://www.sunherald.com
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/432
Author: Robin Fitzgerald, Margaret Baker

COPS GONE WILD?

Arrest Numbers Relatively Low, but Higher Profile

Statistics show a large increase in the number of  Mississippi law 
enforcement officers who have crossed  the line and turned to the 
wrong side of the law.

Since July, at least 17 officers statewide have been  arrested on 
criminal charges. There have been five  arrests in South Mississippi 
since 2000.

The numbers are enough to raise this question: Have  cops gone wild?

Not at all, said law enforcement officials and  consultants, who say 
the number of recent arrests is  small considering the state has more 
than 10,000 sworn  officers.

Area police chiefs agree with consultant Michael W.  Quinn that 
arrests of cops are more noticeable now  because of public 
involvement and media coverage. They  also agree with Quinn's view 
that police should police  themselves through stringent hiring 
practices, ongoing training, internal safeguards and efforts to 
eliminate  the phenomenon known as the "code of silence."

"Since most police work independently, any cop could  probably go 
home every night with a load of drugs if he  has an approving partner 
or one willing to look the  other way," said Quinn, a retired 
Minneapolis police  official, author, columnist, trainer and 
police-ethics  consultant.

"Most cops enter the profession with the intention of  being the best 
cop they can be. But cops are human with  personal problems and 
weaknesses like everyone else.  And even the best cops can make a 
mistake. But those  who don't have direct supervision or constant 
reinforcement of ethics can easily be led astray."

The larger police agencies in South Mississippi have  professional 
standards units or internal affairs  divisions that hold hearings on 
problems ranging from  bad attitudes and citizen complaints to 
illegal drug  involvement and excessive use of force.

Hiring practices

Stringent hiring practices are a critical precaution to  weed out 
applicants who could be problematic. Even that  isn't enough to 
prevent an occasional "bad apple" from  joining the police force or 
to stop a good officer from  later crossing the line.

All police agencies use drug screening and at least  minimal 
background checks. Some conduct more extensive  records checks and 
several agencies use psychological  profiles and polygraph-type tests.

"Lying on an application is an automatic reason to not  hire 
someone," said Biloxi Police Chief Bruce Dunagan.

"You'd be surprised at the number who left the military  under 
less-than-desirable circumstances or had serious  problems documented 
in their files and then claim they  have no military history."

Interviews also show applicants' demeanor and attitude,  said 
Dunagan, whose agency spends an average of three  months on 
screening, even sending recruiters to other  cities to check records.

His department, known for corrupt officers when he  joined the police 
force in 1972, has changed many  practices to make sure "we hire the 
best and they stay  with us for years," Dunagan said.

"There's quite a few officers we've fired over the  years who are now 
working with other police departments  on the Coast," Dunagan added. 
"Either they didn't  bother to check their backgrounds or knew and 
hired  them anyway."

Laura McCool, Pascagoula human resources director, said  the city has 
discussed lowering requirements for  applicants to help fill 
vacancies created in part by  Katrina.

"But if we lower our standards," McCool said, "is this  (corruption) 
something we are going to be faced with?  If we do that, we're 
opening the door to these kinds of  problems. The rest of the city 
can run beautifully, but  if you have a bad police department, then 
it lowers the  integrity of the entire city."

Pascagoula decided to keep its police standards in  place even though 
officials are having a hard time  recruiting.

Many applicants just want a job and don't have the  desire to embrace 
the profession or the standards that  go with the badge, said Shannon 
Ferguson, Pascagoula's  deputy police chief.

Gulfport Police Chief Alan Weatherford said he  personally interviews 
every applicant.

"One question I ask is what they would do if they saw  another 
officer doing something wrong," said  Weatherford.

A recent applicant's answer was "nothing." He didn't  get the job.

Of 925 police officers surveyed for a 2000 study for  the National 
Institute of Justice, 61 percent said they  don't always report 
criminal activity or abuse of  authority by other officers.

"That's scary," Quinn said.

In his book, "Walking With the Devil: The Police Code  of Silence," 
Quinn describes the code as "the  singularly most powerful influence 
on police behavior  in the world."

Training

The initial training and certification of law  enforcement officers 
and ongoing in-house training are  key to instilling the proper 
values, but there are no  guarantees.

Changes have been made through the years to ensure that  people 
selected for police work receive standard basic  training, said 
Robert Davis of the state law  enforcement training and standards 
board. Before a 1981  law passed, there was no mandate for training.

State law requires law enforcement officers receive 400  hours of 
training before they become certified. The  state also requires 16 
hours a year of in-service  training.

Academy training includes how to deal with stress,  making arrests 
and handling unruly or dangerous  suspects as well as hostage 
scenarios and medical  calls.

Still, Davis said, the training and pre-employment  screening 
involved are not foolproof.

"But every occupation has its share of problems. It's  the same way 
in every job," Davis said. "What you hope  for is that the people 
taking these jobs are ethical  and are going to do the right thing."

Training can't prepare officers for the dangers and  downright 
disgusting situations they find on the job. A  rookie officer in 
Gulfport who dreamed of being a cop  recently resigned because he 
couldn't handle the  mentality of people he had to deal with, said Weatherford.

Many agencies use some safeguards Quinn recommends,  such as cameras 
in patrol cars. Biloxi police have  cameras in 40 to 50 cars. 
Gulfport police have cameras  in 25 to 30 cars. Police in Gautier, 
Ocean Springs and  Pascagoula have a few cars equipped with cameras.

Internal affairs

Officers snap to attention when called before a  professional 
standards unit, said Gulfport Police Lt.  Kevin Raymond.

"They know we are the investigative arm of the chief,"  Raymond said.

Smaller police agencies, such as Pascagoula, use their  criminal 
investigators to review allegations of  inappropriate conduct or 
criminal activity.

Internal investigations, though, can be hindered by  using in-house 
personnel, Quinn said.

"You might have a problem being hard on a former or  future partner," 
Quinn said. "You may not be as  objective."

Alternatives, said Quinn, could be a citizen-review  board of 
volunteers with a strong legal or law  enforcement background or an 
investigation by an  outside agency. The objectivity of outside 
scrutiny is  why area police officials typically ask another agency 
to review serious issues, such as officer-involved  shootings.

Still, agencies that don't constantly stress ethics and  support 
those who speak up about problems with other  officers are going to 
have problems, Quinn said.

An officer brought in for an internal affairs or  professional 
standards hearing doesn't get the Miranda  Rights police recite to 
those they arrest. A U.S.  Supreme Court decision in Garrity v. New 
Jersey says  officers accused of wrongdoing don't have the right to 
remain silent when questioned by their agency's  investigators.

Once an officer invokes the Garrity rule, the officer's  comments can 
be used only in subsequent departmental  hearings, not in criminal prosecution.

In departmental hearings, police officials can correct  or discipline 
an officer for violations of rules or  regulations. Criminal matters 
are turned over to state  or federal agencies, depending on the type 
of crime  involved.

Departmental safeguards

A look at what some South Mississippi police  departments require of 
applicants, and the agencies'  internal safeguards:

Biloxi Police Department: Drug screen, background  check, 
psychological profile, fingerprints and  polygraph. Safeguards 
include random drug testing, a  professional-standards unit and 
cameras in many patrol  cars.

Gulfport Police Department: Drug screen, background  check, 
fingerprints, psychological profile and  voice-stress tests. 
Safeguards include cameras in many  patrol cars, a 
professional-standards unit and random  drug testing in incidents 
involving injuries.

Gautier Police Department: Drug screen, background  check, 
fingerprints and psychological profile.  Safeguards include random 
drug testing after accidents  with injuries and cameras in some patrol cars.

Moss Point Police Department: Drug screen, background  check and 
psychological profile. Safeguards include  polygraphs in suspicious 
circumstances, random drug  testing after major accidents and 
internal-affairs  division. The city is considering random drug 
testing  for all city employees, including police.

Ocean Springs Police Department: Drug screen,  background check, 
psychological profile and  fingerprints. Safeguards include random 
drug testing,  cameras in some patrol cars and internal-affairs  division.

Pascagoula Police Department: Drug screen, background  check, 
polygraph, fingerprints and psychological  profile. Safeguards 
include cameras in some patrol  cars. The city is considering random 
drug tests.

Arrests of police officers

Five South Mississippi law enforcement officers have  been arrested 
on felony charges since 2000. About the  cases, by date of arrest:

Dec. 7, 2006 - Wendy Mason Peyregne, a Moss Point  patrol officer for 
two years, was on duty and in  uniform when FBI agents allegedly 
found six grams of  methamphetamine in her pocket. FBI agents 
described her as a known drug distributor and user and charged 
her  with possession with intent to distribute.

Police Chief Demetrius Drakeford said an undercover  investigation 
began in October based on a citizen's  tip. The city drug-tests job 
applicants, but a  background check in 2004 didn't reveal a Mobile 
arrest  warrant accusing Peyregne of writing $800 in bad  checks. 
Moss Point is considering random drug tests.

Peyregne has been fired. She is in custody without bond  pending 
resolution of the case.

Aug. 28, 2006 - Ryan Teel, a corrections officer at the  Harrison 
County jail, was arrested on federal charges  of deprivation of 
rights under color of law in an  attempt to kill and to falsifying 
records in a federal  investigation. He's accused in the Feb. 4 fatal 
beating  of Jessie Lee Williams Jr., an inmate detained 
on  misdemeanor charges. Teel has pleaded not guilty. He is  in 
custody without bond pending a trial set for May 28.  Four former 
jailers have pleaded guilty of conspiring  to deprive rights in a 
criminal investigation that has gone beyond Williams' death to 
include a pattern of  abuse at the county jail.

Nov. 30, 2005: Michael Joseph "Mike" Pechawer, with 20  years as a 
Biloxi police officer, was arrested for  accepting bribes to refer 
detainees to an employee of  A-1 Bonding Co. Pechawer pleaded guilty 
in July and  received a five-year suspended sentence with 
three  years of probation.

June 2, 2005: Darrell D. Cvitanovich Jr., a Biloxi K-9  officer with 
14 years on the job, was arrested at work  while undercover officers 
seized 11 Ecstasy tablets and  methamphetamine residue from his home. 
Investigators  said they believe he also sold drugs from his patrol 
car. He pleaded guilty and was sentenced in October to  a 15-year 
sentence, with 10 years suspended and five to  serve.

Feb. 12, 2000 : Mark Hatfield, a Gulfport DUI officer,  was off duty 
and drunk when he drove off the road and  struck a New Orleans police 
cruiser, seriously injuring  two officers. He was barred from police 
work and  received a 5-year suspended sentence, three years' 
probation and was ordered to pay $5,000 to each of the  injured officers.
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