ORANGE COUNTY PERSPECTIVE : Secret Doings in Irvine Police Force

Irvine city officials should be more forthcoming about just what charges have been levied against six police officers.

Police Chief Charles S. Brobeck notified the six that they may face disciplinary proceedings for “conduct unbecoming an officer” and that there will be hearings on the charges.

The chief and Irvine’s mayor, Michael Ward, said the charges had nothing to do with allegations of sexual harassment made in a lawsuit that four women filed earlier this year against the department and the chief. Nor, they say, do the latest allegations relate to charges made by two of those women that policemen had a club in which officers gained membership by having sex with women in the back seats of patrol cars. Police said they have found no evidence that such a club existed.

Ward said the latest charges stemmed from a citizen’s complaint and that were it not for the lawsuit and the sex-club allegations, they would have created little public interest. Maybe. But the fact is the earlier charges were well-publicized and have heightened interest in the Police Department. So when residents hear that six officers--a sizable number in a force of fewer than 200--face charges, a number of questions spring to mind.

The most obvious is: What are the charges? Three of the six officers were put on administrative leave with pay and could be fired. The other three remain at work but face suspension.

Brobeck said some of the alleged offenses were “absolutely stupid” minor violations of department regulations. But if they are serious enough that an officer could be fired, presumably they rise above the level of violations like unshined shoes or a sloppy salute.

In justifying their secrecy, city officials argue that the alleged violations are personnel matters and thus are not public under state law. But former Mayor Larry Agran was right to suggest that the public has a right to know what prompted the charges, in at least general terms.

Another question is whether the six charges stem from six separate incidents or if some are linked. The Police Department’s attorney said several of the cases are not related. Brobeck spoke of “a series of things” like using poor judgment or being discourteous. But all we have on the question of connection are their statements.

Irvine often ranks as the safest big city in Orange County, due in no small part to good police work. Brobeck and city officials should not let secrecy jeopardize a good reputation.