Police officer’s death justifies an independent investigation

Youngstown city officials took more than a day to ascertain some of the facts surrounding the death of Detective Sgt. Robert Deichman in a two-vehicle traffic crash, so when police Chief Jimmy Hughes asserted at a press conference that “It’s not fair to see a bad guy in this accident,” the public was left to conclude that the officer was simply an unfortunate victim of circumstance.

We now know better. Deichman created the circumstance.

As more light is shed on what occurred during the hours preceding the 3:20 a.m., June 19 accident, the question that Hughes, Mayor Jay Williams and other administration officials must answer is this: When did you know that Deichman had been drinking and bar hopping with fellow officers for almost six hours before he got in his unmarked police car?

It is one of many questions that have been raised since the Ohio State Highway Patrol released a partial report on Monday and a supplemental on Wednesday. What the reports reveal is that Deichman, a nine-year policeman assigned to the Accident Investigation Unit, had at least five beers and one shot before he got behind the wheel of his police car.

The highway patrol’s document shows that his blood-alcohol concentration was 0.158, nearly double the legal limit.

It also establishes that Deichman was not wearing a seat belt and suggests he was driving above the speed limit on Salt Springs Road when his car slammed into the side of a semi tractor-trailer.

But beyond the details of the fatal crash, there is the crucial issue of his status as a police officer on that particular night. Although Deichman was not on duty, he was on call, which meant that he would have been required to respond in the event of an accident and be capable of investigating. He drove a city-owned car because of his on-call duty, and was paid $88 a week for the assignment.

Department rules

By being drunk the night of his death, he violated the department’s rules pertaining to on-call duty, and also put the city in jeopardy.

What, therefore, is government’s financial obligations to Deichman’s estate? Would a workers’ compensation claim be valid under the circumstances? How does his impairment affect the ability of his heirs to claim compensation from a federal program created for law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty?

Deichman’s death has also turned the spotlight on the police department and Chief Hughes’ leadership abilities. The highway patrol report stated that Deichman had been drinking with other officers and that they drove him to his car. The fact that he wasn’t prevented from getting behind the wheel is cause for concern.

Indeed, his behavior, given his assignment to the traffic unit, makes his death all the more troubling.

It it clear that this case deserves to be investigated fully, but we cannot be confident that an internal probe will provide the answers that the public deserves.

Therefore, we believe the Bureau of Criminal Identification and Investigation of the Ohio Attorney General’s Office would be the appropriate investigatory agency.

As for Chief Hughes’ tenure, this would be the appropriate time for Mayor Williams to conduct a review of his two-and-a-half years at the helm of the police department.

In January 2006, Williams announced his cabinet appointments after candidates had been screened by a special committee. Hughes, who was a captain at the time, was unanimously recommended by the panel.

In commenting on the appointments we said, “Regardless of the individual strength or weaknesses of the appointees or the historic strength or weaknesses of the departments they now head, the responsibility of getting the most out of them collectively falls to one man, Mayor Jay Williams.”

Our displeasure with Hughes’ leadership was reflected in a June 2007 editorial when we took him to task for his nonchalant stance on the retirement of Detective Sgt. Rick Alli, who had joined then Attorney General Marc Dann’s staff.

Severance payment

Alli retired from the police force, took a severance payment of more than $25,000, but then remained on the city’s payroll, which allowed him to collect another few thousand dollars.

Alli did no work for that money; he already was receiving his $118,000 a year salary from the attorney general.

How did Hughes respond? The chief said the practice the retired detective sergeant was following was not improper, illegal or a problem.

When the mayor selected Hughes as chief, we had our misgivings. We believed he was too much of an insider and, therefore, would not be inclined to change the culture in the police department.

Circumstances surrounding Officer Deich–man’s death provide Mayor Williams with the opportunity to review Hughes’ record as chief.

The public’s trust in the department is jeopardized by an image of some officers who aren’t policing their own behavior, while the man at the top is either unaware or unconcerned.