SAN ANTONIO POLICE COPING PUBLIC BUOYS FORCE AFTER SCANDAL, OFFICERS' SLAYINGS

SAN ANTONIO -- For local law enforcement officers, 2001 has already been
quite a year.

In the past few months, two city policemen have been slain. Seven Bexar
County officers and a suburban policeman have been accused of misconduct
that ranged from drug trafficking to mishandling confiscated vehicles.

Those woes, piled on top of long-standing community concerns about
excessive use of force and discrimination within law enforcement, have
rocked the 2,000 police officers and 435 deputies who patrol this metropolis.

Fortunately, the officers have been spared the outcry and demonstrations
that badgered other beleaguered police departments in Los Angeles, New
York, Cincinnati, Philadelphia and Chicago in the wake of misconduct
allegations.

"We're always going to have our critics," said Police Chief Al Philippus.
Even so, "I think (officers') credibility is extremely high here."

Though many citizens were disappointed by the corruption charges, there
appears to be no wholesale outrage against police, who routinely get the
benefit of the doubt when testifying against suspects. As one criminal
defense lawyer put it: "They walk on water" in the minds of most citizens,
including jurors.

The recent troubles experienced by the San Antonio Police Department,
especially the two officers' slayings, have produced an outpouring of
support from a variety of sources. On Hallmark cards and folder paper,
ordinary citizens, students, clergy, civil groups and other law enforcement
agencies took time to write messages that were part condolence, part pep
talk and always appreciated.

About 300 such letters, along with scores of e-mail and phone messages to
the department, have buoyed the spirits of rank-and-file officers, said
Philippus, who had some of the poignant missives posted in the department's
roll-call rooms.

"Police rule. I just want to say I'm praying for you," said a note from an
elementary school student.

"We are not in a state of crisis," Philippus said.

To reinforce that contention, the chief declined to participate in a local
TV station's upcoming special program because its working title is Cops in
Crisis.

"Our focus is the future. We are going to move forward with our head held
high, with a tremendous amount of pride, to serve a community that has
literally wrapped their arms around us and embraced us during a very
difficult time," he said.

"It didn't happen by accident," he added.

Chief since 1995, Philippus took charge amid divisive allegations that the
department discriminated against Hispanic officers. And in the years
leading up to his promotion, the department had been rocked by intermittent
incidents of corruption, brutality and other unprofessional conduct.

But none of those problems seemed to compare to the succession of sad
events of recent months. On Feb. 2, SWAT team member John "Rocky" Riojas
was shot to death with his own gun by a fleeing suspect. On March 29,
patrolman Hector Garza was slain along with a spousal-abuse victim when he
responded to a domestic disturbance.

The second killing came a painful week after eight patrol officers were
indicted and arrested as a result of a four-year FBI sting operation, in
which federal agents posed as drug dealers needing police protection for
their bogus cocaine shipments.

Last week, the accused officers -- all of whom have proclaimed their
innocence -- were mulling plea-bargain deals offered by federal
prosecutors. Also charged in the sting were a veteran sheriff's deputy and
a reserve constable.

In an unrelated case, a Balcones Heights officer who used to supervise an
anti-narcotics task force was accused of drug use and taking confiscated
weapons. And earlier this month, Bexar County Sheriff Ralph Lopez said he
was investigating five deputies in his auto-theft unit in connection with a
questionable auction of confiscated vehicles in which deputies were among
the buyers. No charges have been filed in those cases.

As a result of the indictments, however, Bexar County District Attorney
Susan Reed dismissed 36 pending criminal cases in which the accused
officers would have been important witnesses. Thirty of the cases involved
only one officer -- the sheriff's deputy, who transported suspects or evidence.

"I think the citizens here recognize that you're talking about a few
officers out of 2,000," Reed said. She said she hasn't detected any sudden
loss of confidence in police among jurors or the general public.

"We haven't seen, as of yet, that kind of fallout," Reed said. Nor has
there been "a public outcry to do something about the Police Department,"
she said.

"I think Philippus and his leadership of the department have had a lot to
do with the public's respect for the police," she said. "He's out front
about it. He certainly doesn't sweep anything under the rug."

Criminal defense lawyer Jimmy Parks, who represents one of the policemen
indicted in the sting, agreed that the police force benefits from good
leadership and a good reputation.

"If there was a lot of brutality and problems, I would be seeing people
wanting to file suits and civil rights cases and complaints. ... But
there's not a lot of it out there," Parks said. "That's why I've got a lot
of respect for the department."

Philippus said he has been trying ever since he took charge to "change the
culture" of the department. His first challenge was dealing with a large
number of Hispanic officers with discrimination complaints. He said he told
his critics, "I can't change the color of my skin, but give me a chance and
I'll make some changes."

In addition to mending fences with Hispanic officers as well as community
and minority advocacy groups, Philippus said he has implemented several new
policies to enhance police integrity. They include voluntary reporting of
any use of force and an "early warning system" to identify patterns of
misconduct. He also has made it a firing offense for an officer to lie
under oath, and drug testing of officers begins this summer.

Building community support -- the department's "greatest strength" --
didn't happen overnight, Philippus said. But once it's developed, it will
be there "when you need it the most. And that is exactly what has happened
here," he said.