It’s troubling, but certainly no surprise, that another recommendation that Pennsylvania State Police stop investigating shootings by their own troopers has been brushed off by the agency.

But that doesn’t make the report any less true or less urgent.

Earlier this month a grand jury released a pointed report calling state police “arrogant” and asking them to stop investigating trooper-involved shootings.

The grant jury, which also urged Gov. Tom Wolf to force PSP to allow independent investigations of trooper-involved shootings, reasonably argued that such investigations need to be transparent and “free from potential bias or conflicts of interest.”

This is not an outlandish request. Yet state police have predictably resisted turning over these duties to any outside agency, arguing that they’re doing a fine job and are “the only police force with sufficient resources to efficiently and effectively investigate any officer-involved shootings,” that occur,

“The department has a breadth and depth of resources available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, that is unsurpassed by any other law enforcement agency in the commonwealth,” said Ryan Tarkowski, a PSP spokesman.

Tarkowski is correct. But the question at hand is not which law enforcement agency in Pennsylvania has the biggest budget and the most resources at its disposal. It’s which agency is best suited to investigate shootings involving state police troopers.

And while the grand jury report — occasioned by a fatal shooting near Easton in Northampton County — ultimately concluded that troopers were justified in their use of deadly force, it also referenced “serious questions and concerns,” about how PSP conducted its probe of the incident.

“The involved troopers were given special treatment by the investigating team ... not generally afforded to others who are the subject of a criminal investigation,” the report reads, in part.

That’s a sobering conclusion. But there’s an easy way to fix this problem: remove PSP from a position that exposes them to conflicts of interest and the opportunity for any impropriety — real or perceived.

Pennsylvania has more than 1,000 law enforcement agencies statewide. Surely one has enough resources and expertise to make it a viable alternative when the time comes to investigate trooper-involved shootings.

Wolf should step in and make it clear to PSP that appearances matter — especially at a time when widespread distrust of law enforcement agencies is creating tensions and stoking violence in communities.

The best way to diffuse these tensions is to ensure that everyone plays by the same rules, no matter how much money or expertise they have. That includes Pennsylvania State Police.

—PAR