ORANGE COUNTY PERSPECTIVE : Case of Reduced Credibility

When a police department accused of using excessive force investigates itself, the question of a whitewash invariably arises. So it was when the Huntington Beach Police Department recently released the results of an internal probe concluding that officers did not overdo it in breaking up two parties last summer. Said one of the 12 people arrested, “We expected this to happen.”

Public cynicism often results when the police insist on investigating themselves. No matter how thorough and honest an inquiry is, if a department determines that its officers acted within the law and the department’s policy--as the Huntington Beach investigation concluded--there will be doubters.

In the Huntington Beach case, as is common in such matters, there is disagreement about what happened. Some of those arrested have contended that officers overreacted, used unnecessary force and damaged an apartment by kicking in doors and walls. Several people required medical treatment. Police counter that officers responding to reports of a loud party were merely protecting themselves from combative people.

It’s hard to say who is right. A federal lawsuit filed against the police may produce more facts. But no matter how efficient, fair and accurate an internal police investigation may be, the results will always be suspect.

And any persistent suspicion presents a serious obstacle to police efforts to build public confidence in law enforcement. It would be far better if police agencies farmed out these investigations to others, an option that is hardly unprecedented.

Police agencies add to their credibility--and deflect calls for full-blown civilian review boards--by agreeing to outside investigation of police-misconduct allegations.