DATE: Saturday, September 27, 1997          TAG: 9709260023

SECTION: LOCAL                   PAGE: B8   EDITION: FINAL 

TYPE: Editorial 

                                            LENGTH:   61 lines

POLICE PENALTIES USE OF DEADLY FORCE IS SERIOUS BUSINESS THAT DEMANDS THOROUGH AND COMPLETE INVESTIGATIONS.

The Virginia Beach Police Department investigation into the officers who shot a man to death earlier this year is resulting in disciplinary actions against as many as 10 city police officers.

We applaud the apparent thoroughness of the police investigation, which took six months to complete, and the courage it took for police officials to discipline fellow officers.

This sort of comprehensive investigation is necessary in order for the public to maintain confidence in its law enforcement officers. Superficial investigations with predictable outcomes do little but reinforce a perception in some parts of the community that police officers operate with impunity and aren't held accountable for misdeeds.

From the start, the facts of this case suggested something went horribly wrong on March 25. On that day, an unarmed motorist, Bruce V. Quagliato, led officers on a slow-speed chase through the city. The chase ended with Quagliato dead after police fired more than 60 rounds into his Camaro.

The disciplinary actions facing some of the officers involved in the shooting are administrative in nature. The most severe sanction available to the department is termination. Lesser punishments can range from demotion and suspension to transfers and reprimands.

A news story Thursday reported that four officers could be dismissed from the department and at least six others may face less severe punishment.

This internal investigation will not result in criminal charges being brought against any of the officers. They were cleared of criminal wrongdoing almost immediately. The commonwealth's attorney's office closed its investigation into the incident 17 days after the shooting.

The speed with which the prosecutor's office conducted and concluded its investigation raises questions. It can hardly have been as thorough as the six-month inquiry by police. Certainly, prosecutors ought to review the police report to see if there is any evidence of criminal actions by the police.

Citizens of Virginia Beach have a right to be concerned about police operations that result in disciplinary action. According to U.S. Justice Department statistics, Virginia Beach police officers are using deadly force more often than their counterparts across the nation. A tendency to rush to judgment is also troubling.

For instance, in June, police officers shot and killed a 19-year-old man armed with several kitchen knives. The commonwealth's attorney's office concluded its investigation into the matter in just 10 days, clearing the officers of criminal wrongdoing before many forensic and medical reports were complete.

After that shooting we raised two concerns: the possibility that Virginia Beach police officers were not adequately trained in alternatives to deadly force; and, second, that police shootings might not be thoroughly investigated.

City prosecutors must take their time investigating such cases. It is imperative that the public be reassured that its police officers do not themselves commit crimes in the course of fighting crime.

In the case of Bruce V. Quagliato, we urge the commonwealth's attorney to take a second look.

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