WASHINGTON — Federal prosecutors
are targeting a rising number of law enforcement officers for alleged brutality, Justice Department statistics show. The heightened
prosecutions come as the nation's largest police union fears that agencies are dropping standards to fill thousands of vacancies
and "scrimping" on training. Cases in which police, prison guards and other law enforcement
authorities have used excessive force or other tactics to violate victims' civil rights have increased 25% (281 vs. 224) from
fiscal years 2001 to 2007 over the previous seven years, the department says. During the same period,
the department says it won 53% more convictions (391 vs. 256). Some cases result in multiple convictions. Federal
records show the vast majority of police brutality cases referred by investigators are not prosecuted. University of Toledo law professor David Harris, who analyzes police conduct issues, says it will
take time to determine whether the cases represent a sustained period of more aggressive prosecutions or the beginnings of
a surge in misconduct. The cases involve only a fraction of the estimated 800,000 police in the USA, says
James Pasco, executive director of the National Fraternal Order of Police (FOP), the nation's largest police union. Even
so, he says, the FOP is concerned that reduced standards, training and promotion of less experienced officers into the higher
police ranks could undermine more rigid supervision. "These are things we are worried about," Pasco
says. For the past few years, dozens of police departments across the country have scrambled to fill vacancies.
The recruiting effort, which often features cash bonuses, has intensified since 9/11, because many police recruits have been
drawn to military service. In its post-Sept. 11 reorganization, the FBI listed police misconduct as
one of its highest civil rights priorities to keep pace with an anticipated increase in police hiring through 2009. The
increasing Justice numbers generally correspond to a USA TODAY analysis of federal law enforcement prosecutions using data
compiled by the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse at Syracuse University. Those data show 42 law
enforcement prosecutions during the first 10 months of fiscal year 2007, a 66% increase from all of fiscal 2002 and a 61%
rise from a decade ago. David Burnham, the co-founder of the TRAC database, says prosecutions appear
to be increasing, but "more important" are the numbers of cases prosecutors decline. Last year,
96% of cases referred for prosecution by investigative agencies were declined. In 2005, 98% were declined,
a rate that has remained "extremely high" under every administration dating to President Carter, according to a
TRAC report. The high refusal rates, say Burnham and law enforcement analysts, result in part from the extraordinary
difficulty in prosecuting abuse cases. Juries are conditioned to believe cops, and victims' credibility is often challenged. "When
police are accused of wrongdoing, the world is turned upside down," Harris says. "In some cases, it may be impossible
for (juries) to make the adjustment." | Posted 12/17/2007 8:58 PM | | Updated 12/18/2007 7:39 AM | | E-mail | Save | Print | | | To report corrections and clarifications, contact Reader Editor Brent Jones. For publication consideration in the newspaper, send comments to letters@usatoday.com. Include name, phone number, city and state for verification. |
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