MINORITY LEADERS CALL FOR POLICE REFORM AFTER SHOOTING IN COLUMBUS

COLUMBUS (AP) - State Rep. Calvin Smyre joined other minority leaders in
calling for a series of reforms following last month's fatal shooting of an
unarmed Columbus man by a deputy sheriff.

The group called Friday for the "speedy, fair and balanced report" of the
findings into the Dec. 10 shooting of Kenneth B. Walker from the Muscogee
County Sheriff's Department, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation and the
Federal Bureau of Investigation.

"We understand that there's a process we have to go through, but at the
same time we know that the situation is festering," said Smyre, chairman of
the state Democratic Party and head of the House Rules Committee.

Walker, 39, was shot after he and three friends were stopped on Interstate
185 in a vehicle matching one that drug agents believed was carrying armed
men from Miami involved in narcotics. No drugs or weapons were ever
recovered, nor were any arrests made.

The group of a dozen state and local elected officials urged:

. Evaluation of the sheriff's department's "on-the street" activities by an
outside agency.

. A review, and if necessary, revision of the training, policies and
procedures by law enforcement, with attention given to stop, search and
seizure procedures.

. Greater racial, cultural, and gender diversity at the upper ranks of all
law enforcement agencies.

. The creation of a citizens' review commission that would work with
officers investigating allegations of misconduct and recommend findings to
the head of a law enforcement agency.

The call for civilian oversight was the first such recommendation by
elected officials, although such a committee has been requested in the past
by a number of community groups, said Columbus Councilor Nathan Suber.

"There's no ifs, ands or buts about it," said Suber, a former police
officer. "The shooting has brought forth the need to have this particular
oversight."

He said support was growing on the City Council for a panel comprised of a
mix of civilians and retired law enforcement.