INQUEST NEEDED

Your recent editorial "Seeking justice" (Feb. 8) once again points out
the inadequacy of the existing procedure for investigating police
shootings of civilians. The stories of the police officers in the Mena
killing have not been subjected to public scrutiny, and perhaps never
will be.

Something different is needed. I renew my suggestion that a coroner's
inquest be held whenever police officers kill anyone. A public
proceeding before a coroner's jury, with the officers testifying under
oath, is routine in Las Vegas, for example. The jury renders a verdict
about whether the killing was justifiable or criminally negligent. The
verdict is not binding on the district attorney.

The Nevada system is not without critics, who suggest that the
officers' version of events is often accepted unchallenged. In
addition, the evidence is presented by the district attorney's office,
which often is too cozy with the persons under investigation.
Nonetheless, their system appears far superior to our collegial one.
Maybe a hybrid of the Las Vegas method could be utilized, with some
entity more removed from the events presenting the evidence - perhaps
the Attorney General's office or the City Attorney's office. Any
public inquest would be an improvement over the private approach used
today.

Ken Kirkpatrick, Denver