POLICE CHIEF DEFENDS FORCE DESPITE VICE SQUAD TROUBLE

Charlotte-Mecklenburg's police chief defended the image of the force
Monday after four officers left the vice and narcotics unit in the
last three weeks.

The chief recommended firing two officers, one resigned and a
sergeant was reassigned.

"You always have concern about the public's perception of the
department," Chief Darrel Stephens said Monday. "We've had some
mistakes made, but we've responded to them by taking the actions we
thought were appropriate."

And even if charges are dismissed against some of the suspects
arrested by vice officers -- hundreds of cases are under scrutiny --
investigating alleged officer misconduct helps maintain the integrity
of the criminal justice system, he said.

"Perhaps some of the people we arrested will be thankful and adjust
their behavior," he said. "Others will not learn and we'll probably
have an opportunity to arrest them again."

Last week, Stephens recommended vice officers Patrick Mulhall and
Jeffrey Baker be fired. The action followed an internal investigation
into alleged violations of the department's use of force and
high-speed arrest policies, a police source said.

The source said at least one of the officers kicked a man during a
Nov. 16 arrest.

Marion McIlwain, 27, was charged with cocaine and marijuana
possession, maintaining a vehicle or dwelling to distribute a
controlled substance, resisting a public officer and reckless driving
in connection with the incident in northern Charlotte, court records
show. The charges have been dismissed, records show.

Mulhall and Baker, each with more than a dozen years on the force,
have been suspended pending a Civil Service Board appeal. That
hearing has not been scheduled. Neither could be reached late Monday.

Most officers cited for termination since Stephens became police
chief in 1999 have gotten their jobs back after appealing to the
seven-member citizens committee.

Detective Michael Marlow resigned Jan. 16 amid a separate internal
investigation into an altercation involving gunfire and a man dressed
as a woman. He said he resigned because of eight years of
work-related stress and has denied wrongdoing.

Records show Marlow was also one of the arresting officers in the
incident involving Mulhall and Baker.

Marlow's supervisor has been reassigned. Police have said the
supervisor also faces an internal affairs review, but details were
not available.

The 37 remaining vice officers, assigned to what officials say is
among the most grueling units on the force, investigate crimes
related to drugs, gambling and prostitution.

Stephens would not comment specifically on the recent cases involving
the unit, but said officers are generally disciplined most severely
for lying, stealing or using excessive force.