ORANGE COUNTY PERSPECTIVE : For Police, a Time to Reflect

The killing of Garden Grove Police officer Howard E. Dallies while on overnight patrol in 1993 shocked the community. Four years of intensive investigations led police to arrest a suspect, John J.C. Stephens, on murder charges. After spending more than two years in county jail awaiting trial, Stephens was released this month after a hearing.

That it took so long for this case to get to court demonstrates how complex the testimony was. That the case then was dropped so speedily ought to prompt some reflection on how witness interviews were conducted by police.

The final decision to drop the case came two days after an Orange County Superior Court judge ruled that a key witness was coerced by detectives, and that a second witness lacked credibility. How witnesses were handled by detectives clearly troubled the court.

Court records show police told one suspect soon after the killing that his mother would be arrested unless he cooperated. Detectives also threatened to send a female witness’ children to Orangewood Children’s Home, which houses abused and neglected children. Further, interview transcripts show that Stephens was not allowed an attorney despite his repeated request for one.

Granting a suspect a lawyer when he asks for one is basic. Police experts interviewed by The Times since the court ruling have questioned the tactics. Garden Grove police say they never pressured people to make any false statements, and interview transcripts do show that detectives insisted that witnesses tell the truth. They say that their forceful interview tactics were used after it became apparent that some witnesses lied to them, and that strong interviewing techniques were needed to get at the truth.

This investigation took up an enormous commitment of time and resources by law enforcement in Garden Grove. The desire for the colleagues of Dallies to bring to closure a painful case is understandable. The importance to them was apparent in the district attorney’s willingness to go to a preliminary hearing even after concluding the case should be dropped. Now Garden Grove is left at the end of an expensive and complex case no closer to a conviction then they were years ago.

The conclusions of the judge and experts give investigators food for thought about the conduct of future investigations.