By Marcia Moore
The Daily Item
June 19, 2008 05:23 am
—
One of the most difficult situations for law enforcement is confronting an offender who happens to be a fellow officer, Valley police chiefs said.
"There's a certain brotherhood," Lewisburg police Chief Paul Yost said. "You trust these people with your life."
On Monday, Mount Carmel police Chief Brian Shurock testified at Richard C. Curran's homicide trial in Northumberland County about an encounter he had with the defendant, a Bernville police officer, on the morning Tina Curran, 31, of Mount Carmel, was shot dead in the parking lot at Shamokin Area Community Hospital.
Shurock was responding to a domestic dispute at Mrs. Curran's home at about 10 a.m. on Aug. 24, 2005, when he came in contact with Mr. Curran.
The chief testified that from prior encounters he knew Mr. Curran could be disrespectful to other law officials.
When he suggested Mr. Curran be arrested for trespassing, Shurock said, Mrs. Curran nervously demurred.
Instead of taking Mr. Curran into custody, Shurock asked Mr. Curran for the name of his supervisor at the Bernville police department in Berks County and let him go with a warning.
An hour later, Mrs. Curran was gunned down and Mr. Curran was arrested later that day allegedly trying to escape across the border into Canada.
Middleburg police Chief Tony Jordan said Shurock's response to the domestic dispute was proper under the circumstances.
"In the Curran case, the officer did the best thing he could do," Jordan said.
While sometimes an officer can help alleviate a situation involving another officer, Yost said, more often no one can predict what's in the mind of an offender.
"I've had a case where I've talked to someone who seemed fine and two days later they killed themselves," Yost said. "You can't control that."
Jordan said officers are trained in domestic violence situations to treat other police the same as any other offender.
"I feel an officer should show respect to another officer," Jordan said. "They should put themselves in my position, and know that I'm advocating for the victim."
All offenders should be handled the same way regardless of the offender's employment status, Northumberland Borough police Chief Timothy Fink said.
"That's the way it should be," he said.
In his 29-year career of enforcing the law, Yost said he has been in the "very difficult" situation of arresting other police officers several times.
He's well aware of the public perception that police cover for misbehaving police, but Yost said he's firm in treating everyone equally under the law.
"I understand people think we cut favors, like a doctor sees another doctor or a lawyer sees a lawyer," he said.
But, Yost said, an ethical officer with integrity will follow the law "which is specific."
His view is simple: "I didn't put you in that situation."
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