NEWPORT NEWS PANEL SAYS OFFICERS DIDN'T CAUSE DEALER'S DEATH

NEWPORT NEWS -- A city-appointed panel of three former police chiefs
has found that Newport News police officers did not cause the death of
convicted drug dealer Igod Allah, but officers did violate two
department policies while arresting him.

Allah, a 28-year-old Newport News man, died while in police custody at
Riverside Regional Medical Center in August 1999. Police had arrested
him earlier on charges of possessing marijuana and obstructing justice
after watching him make an apparent drug deal.

An autopsy found that Allah died after ingesting a lethal dose of
cocaine.

Allah's wife, Yolanda Jackson, has accused officers of using excessive
force and contributing to his death. Jackson could not be reached
Tuesday for comment.

The review panel found no evidence supporting charges of excessive
force, but documented two policy violations. Officers should not have
used a tongue depressor to find out if Allah was hiding contraband in
his mouth, and the officers failed to immediately notify a supervisor
of their suspicions that Allah had swallowed cocaine.