POLICING THE POLICE

TOUGH ENFORCEMENT AT THE COUNTY

Officer-abuse complaints are not excessive but still demand attention.

Miami-Dade Police Director Carlos Alvarez has good reason to protest the
Independent Review Panel's report on police brutality among 22 area
departments. The report, which was widely covered in the news media,
tabulates brutality complaints against local police officers between 1994
and 1997. During that period, complaints against the Miami-Dade police
department rose to 133 from 45 -- a seemingly alarming jump.

Mr. Alvarez doesn't dispute the numbers; his department supplied them. But
not included in that report were the 1998 figures when complaints dropped to
93, as did arrests that year. A fair reading of those and other numbers
would hardly conclude that police misbehavior is either rising or treated
with a shrug.

Mr. Alvarez insisted in an interview with The Herald that "in a perfect
world" there would be no complaints of officer abuse. In this imperfect
world, he says his mission is to take every complaint seriously.

His record is credible. Incidents of abuse, though widely publicized, are
exceedingly rare. In 1997, when the highest number of complaints -- 133 --
was lodged, the Miami-Dade Police Department made 59,800 arrests. Of those,
improper behavior was reported in 0.21 percent by 3,200 sworn officers.

That's barely one abuse complaint in 500 arrests. And of those complaints,
only one in four is upheld -- the same as the national average for
police-abuse complaints.

Yes, brutality exists among the ranks of the largest police department in
the county, but is it on the rise? No, Mr. Alvarez would argue. If anything,
the department is doing more to weed out bad conduct, he says.

It must do so. In this era of well-publicized police outrages -- the New
York City policemen's torture of Abner Louima, the still-shocking video of
Los Angeles police beating Rodney King, and still-haunting memories in Miami
over the Arthur McDuffie fatal beating -- no department can afford to coddle
or excuse bad cops for any wrongdoing.

Ironically, it is good news that there have been six arrests of Miami-Dade
officers just in the last two weeks, but none for brutality. Mr. Alvarez
says the department initiated investigations that resulted in charges
brought Monday against four narcotics detectives for allegedly planting
evidence. Last week, his department arrested two of its own for corruption
and two others while allegedly committing a robbery.

This self-policing of the police is cause for optimism, even as Mr. Alvarez
admits that vigilance is constant and more must be done. Few things are more
important to the health of a community than a commitment to get rid of bad
cops.

The best antidote to the all-too-real, often tempting practice of thuggery
with a badge is vigorous investigation of citizens' complaints and proper
punishment where due.