THOROUGHNESS IS THE KEY

State Attorney Can Show Independence in Police Scandal

The local chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union isn't the
first and likely won't be the last to raise questions about how
authorities should investigate alleged misconduct by three recently
departed Bradenton police officers. It's important to clarify the
direction now to ensure the probe is fair, thorough and as beyond
reproach as possible.

ACLU officials want the local state attorney's office to recuse itself
from the investigation and ask Gov. Charlie Crist to assign it to a
prosecutor elsewhere in the state.

The group contends the move is needed to avoid "any appearance of
conflict of interest or impropriety." The three accused officers have
testified for the state attorney's office in the past, and it's
possible other officers who might be questioned in the probe will be
witnesses in pending cases.

At issue are allegations by Dawn Marie Gibson, an admitted prostitute
and drug addict. She says she had sex with an officer in exchange for
cocaine, money and promises of protection and with a second officer in
exchange for food and money. Another woman, Sarah A. Wysocki, says she
had sex with a third officer in a police substation on 14th Street
West in exchange for money.

Shortly after Gibson made her allegations, the three accused officers
resigned, citing personal reasons. One officer later admitted Gibson
performed oral sex on him but said he didn't know she was a
prostitute. A second accused officer has denied all
allegations.

The state attorney has the ACLU's request under review but doesn't
appear inclined to step aside.

When State Attorney Earl Moreland received a report on the allegations
last month, we urged him to widen the investigation far beyond the
cursory inquiry conducted by the Police Department. To determine the
truth and the extent of the potential criminal activity, officials
should question all officers who were involved in patrolling or
working undercover in the 14th Street corridor, as well as their
supervisors.

Our recommendation stands. So does our advice that Moreland should
turn over the probe to another agency if his office doesn't have
sufficient resources or faces too many professional conflicts to
conduct a thorough investigation.

At this point, there's no indication his office cannot do the job. But
the ACLU's request reinforces an important point: Unless a thorough
inquiry is conducted, the public's faith in the Police Department and,
for that matter, the state attorney's office, could suffer serious,
lasting harm.