CORRUPTION: POLICE CONVICTION IS REASSURING

No one is above the law.

That's the message a federal jury sent Friday with the conviction of former
Jackson police Det. Alvaline Baggett on charges she extorted money from drug
dealers to "fix" their cases

A 15-year veteran officer, Baggett may have considered herself invulnerable
to reproach.

In 1998, she was chosen Officer of the Month for the fourth time and had
been named Officer of the Year by a local group. She was the only female
detective in the city's Narcotics Bureau and prided herself as the "Number
One narcotics officer in Jackson."

All that ended in May when she resigned after being indicted by a federal
grand jury. On Friday, she was convicted of bribery and conspiracy, facing
up to 30 years in prison and $500,000 in fines at a Dec. 15 hearing.

This conviction can be seen as terribly embarrassing for the police
department, but it shouldn't be. It should be seen as evidence of a
determination to rid its ranks of corruption. It's an affirmation of that
determination.

City officials were puzzled in 1999 when the Linder/Maple consulting group
reported a serious perception of police corruption by the department's
rank-and-file.

Some 76 percent of officers surveyed said they believed up to 25 percent of
the force was taking money from drug dealers. Citizens interviewed for the
study said they believed 10 to 30 percent of the force was corrupt.

No department can operate at top efficiency if its integrity is so in
question.

Acting on that perception, the department expanded its Internal Affairs
Division and enlisted the aid of the FBI, leading to Baggett's indictment.
And it has since begun an "integrity checks" program, including undercover
operations to see what officers will do with money or drugs that have been
planted for them to find.

Baggett's conviction may be a sad fact, but it's a vindication of the city's
efforts to root out wrongdoing. And this higher scrutiny should be supported
by citizens and the rank-and-file officers who rightfully complained.

Even "top cops" need to remember that no one is above the law they are
employed to enforce.