REPAIRING A REPUTATION

Our View: Police Scandal Proved Costly

One day, Baltimore police Sgt. Robert L. Smith is accused of
supervising a rogue investigative squad whose members are charged
with rape, and the next, he's the recipient of a six-figure apology
from the department, complete with a statement of his dedication
that he can hang on his living room wall. This is not a Back to the
Future moment. It took 2 1/2 years for Sergeant Smith to clear his
name, and the Police Department's decision this week to settle the
officer's lawsuit should put an end to the embarrassing saga of the
defunct Southwest District "flex squad."

The turmoil began in late 2005, when a woman caught smoking marijuana
accused three of Sergeant Smith's flex squad members of sexually
assaulting her in the station house. The flex squads were
investigative units housed in police districts. A follow-up search of
an office used by the Southwest squad found illegal drugs and
confiscated items that should have been stored as evidence.

The incident led to the disbanding of the flex squad system, new
screenings of officers in local investigative units and the
indictment of three Southwest flex squad officers. But the case
against Sergeant Smith's men eventually unraveled: The main suspect
in the rape was acquitted, and prosecutors dropped the charges
against the two others.

But as the supervisor of the unit, Sergeant Smith was named in the
initial warrant against the officers - although he was on vacation at
the time of the alleged attack. Another squad member, Officer Vicki
Mengel, also was named in the warrant - despite her transfer from
the unit days before. These mix-ups should have been corrected at the
outset; instead, Sergeant Smith's reputation suffered, and the
department is now paying $290,000 to Sergeant Smith and Ms. Mengel,
who has since left the department, and offering a rare public
apology to settle their civil claims.

The Southwest flex squad proved troublesome for the department in
several ways. But it shone a spotlight on the importance of integrity
within a police department and the problems that occur when
reputations are tarnished without just cause.