ATLANTA COPS, SHAKEN COMMUNITY TRY TO MAKE AMENDS

ATLANTA -- After a 92-year-old grandmother was cut down in a hail of
police bullets during a botched raid three years ago, her community
seemed to trust officers about as much as the drug dealers who roam
the blighted streets.

Neighbors complained that it was so difficult to get police attention
for their crime-ridden northwest Atlanta neighborhood that they rarely
bothered to dial 911. Atlanta Police Chief Richard Pennington was
jeered when he attended a memorial for Kathryn Johnston days after she
was killed.

On Monday, Pennington came back and was met with applause. It's been
slow and tedious, but Pennington and community leaders said the
department has worked to rebuild ties with the neighborhood.

"It was through her tragic death that attention was brought to our
community, about the problems we have and the challenges we face,"
said the Rev. Anthony Motley, who called Johnston the neighborhood's
"patron saint."

There's still mistrust.

Some residents at a town hall meeting Monday night to honor the third
anniversary of Johnston's death say officers still respond too slowly
to calls. Others signaled that a different police approach is
gradually improving the relationship between the community and its
protectors.

Officers are pounding the pavement to try to connect, Pennington
said.

"You have to go out and meet with residents and let them know we hear
their concerns," said Pennington, who got an earful at the meeting.
"We think we've done a lot to change the culture."

The community is still shaken over the death of Johnston, who was
killed on Nov. 21, 2006, after plainclothes narcotics officers burst
into her home using a special "no-knock" warrant to search for drugs.
She fired a single bullet at the invaders, and they responded with 39
bullets through her wooden door.

Investigators originally said they had gone to the woman's house after
an informant bought drugs there from a dealer. In the weeks after the
killing, a probe revealed that officers tried to cover up the mistake
after searching her home and finding no drugs.

Prosecutors said an officer handcuffed the dying woman and planted
three baggies of marijuana in her basement. He then called an
informant and told him to pretend he bought crack cocaine there, they
said.

Three ex-cops were sentenced to prison for their roles in the shooting
death, and the botched raid led to an investigation of the Atlanta
Police Department. It forced the department to tighten its warrant
requirements, ordered new training for officers and reorganized its
narcotics unit.

The city also created a citizen review board to investigate police
misconduct months after Johnston's death, although frustrated critics
contend the panel doesn't have enough authority or funding. Both
candidates for Atlanta mayor, who attended the town hall meeting,
promised the board would play a more muscular role in their
administrations.

The neighborhood, where residents fortify their windows with bars,
still suffers from crime and blight. Its City Councilman Ivory Young
said it seems for every drug dealer arrested, a hungry recruit is
willing to step in.

And some said, even after the department's efforts, it will be hard to
trust the police again.

Community activist "Able" Mable Thomas stood up in front of about 100
people at a community church and pointed at the chief, telling him
"this community has never forgiven you."

Pennington slowly walked to the microphone.

"I'd like to take this moment to personally apologize. You can't have
an ongoing healing process unless someone steps up and says they were
wrong," he said. "I think we're a much better police department and we
have much better officers. And we're working hard to earn back your
respect."

Instead of jeers, his words were met with a standing ovation.