CITIES CONDONE POLICE BRUTALITY, GROUP SAYS

Police departments in New York and other major U.S. cities fail to hold
officers accountable for abusive and brutal behavior,much of it targeted at
minorities,according to a new report on human-rights abuse.

The study,issued Tuesday by Human Rights Watch,accuses local police
agencies and the Justice Department of failing to come to terms with police
brutality,calling it a "common human-rights abuse in the United States."

In New York,the nations largest police department has traditionally been
"unwilling to acknowledge shortcomings and instead dismisses any criticisms
as unfounded or as merely 'anecdotal,'" the study says.

It faults Mayor Rudolph Giuliani and his police commissioner for dismissing
many allegations of police brutality as isolated criminal acts committed by
rogue cops.