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.