Not an Old Boys Club

To the Editor:

William L. McKechnie (April 13 letter) obviously believes that no "real" cop would ever fail to take a cop's word over anyone else's word, even when the police officer(s) kills an apparently innocent man and seriously injures others. I can imagine him back in the early '70's, during the Knapp Commission hearings: "Serpico, you dirty rat!"

I had about 10 years on patrol, most of it as an active cop in the 23rd Precinct, so I won't bother defending my police career to someone who shoots from the lip - wildly.

Police officers are crime-fighters, but first and foremost, they are public servants. The Police Department is a public service, not some good ol' boys club where the guys all stick together even when some guys use excessive force, or when some guys panic and make deadly mistakes.

In both the Diallo and Bell shootings, something went horribly wrong. It's difficult to find an appropriate spot to insert the magic word, "reasonably," in the explanations by officers for either shooting. The NYPD (Police Commissioner Bernard Kerik and Mayor Rudolph Giuliani) did their best to make the Diallo Case go away quickly by saying "No" to a police department disciplinary trial. By avoiding an administrative trial and avoiding a civil court trial (by paying the Diallo family $3 million) there was less chance of the public exposure of the poor police tactics used, and the lack of supervision after the reckless quadrupling of the Street Crimes Unit just prior to the shooting.

In the Bell shooting, the supervisor was reportedly nowhere in sight. What's this about? Try to find a place for the word "reasonably" - please!

MICHAEL J. GORMAN

Editor's note: The writer is a retired NYPD Lieutenant and an attorney.