Pubdate: Thu, 09 Aug 2007 Source: Sarasota Herald-Tribune (FL) Copyright: 2007 Sarasota Herald-Tribune Contact: http://www.heraldtribune.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/398 THOROUGHNESS IS THE KEY State Attorney Can Show Independence in Police Scandal The local chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union isn't the first and likely won't be the last to raise questions about how authorities should investigate alleged misconduct by three recently departed Bradenton police officers. It's important to clarify the direction now to ensure the probe is fair, thorough and as beyond reproach as possible. ACLU officials want the local state attorney's office to recuse itself from the investigation and ask Gov. Charlie Crist to assign it to a prosecutor elsewhere in the state. The group contends the move is needed to avoid "any appearance of conflict of interest or impropriety." The three accused officers have testified for the state attorney's office in the past, and it's possible other officers who might be questioned in the probe will be witnesses in pending cases. At issue are allegations by Dawn Marie Gibson, an admitted prostitute and drug addict. She says she had sex with an officer in exchange for cocaine, money and promises of protection and with a second officer in exchange for food and money. Another woman, Sarah A. Wysocki, says she had sex with a third officer in a police substation on 14th Street West in exchange for money. Shortly after Gibson made her allegations, the three accused officers resigned, citing personal reasons. One officer later admitted Gibson performed oral sex on him but said he didn't know she was a prostitute. A second accused officer has denied all allegations. The state attorney has the ACLU's request under review but doesn't appear inclined to step aside. When State Attorney Earl Moreland received a report on the allegations last month, we urged him to widen the investigation far beyond the cursory inquiry conducted by the Police Department. To determine the truth and the extent of the potential criminal activity, officials should question all officers who were involved in patrolling or working undercover in the 14th Street corridor, as well as their supervisors. Our recommendation stands. So does our advice that Moreland should turn over the probe to another agency if his office doesn't have sufficient resources or faces too many professional conflicts to conduct a thorough investigation. At this point, there's no indication his office cannot do the job. But the ACLU's request reinforces an important point: Unless a thorough inquiry is conducted, the public's faith in the Police Department and, for that matter, the state attorney's office, could suffer serious, lasting harm. - --- MAP posted-by: Derek