State Police To Continue Handling Investigations Of Trooper Shootings
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HARRISBURG (AP) -- Pennsylvania State Police will continue to conduct their own investigations of shootings by on-duty troopers. In doing so, they are ignoring a grand jury's recommendation that the agency step aside when a shooting involves one of its troopers and have an outside agency handle the probe.
Pennsylvania State Police said Friday that since most Pennsylvania municipalities either don't have a police department or only employ part-time officers, it's the only agency that can handle investigations of "any officer-involved shootings."
A prosecutor sought the grand jury after state police refused to allow county detectives to take the lead on a probe of a fatal shooting by troopers near Easton.
District Attorney John Morganelli calls the state police response to the grand jury report "very weak."
The grand jury said earlier this month that trooper shooting investigations should be independent to ensure they're free from bias or conflicts of interest.
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