Grand jury tells state police: give up trooper investigations
EASTON — The “arrogant” Pennsylvania State Police should stop investigating shootings by its own troopers to ensure such probes are transparent and “free from potential bias or conflicts of interest,” a grand jury said in a scathing report.
The grand jury urged Gov. Tom Wolf to force the agency to step aside and allow for independent investigation when a shooting involves one of its own, citing a national climate of “distrust of law enforcement” over police shootings and whether they’re investigated thoroughly.
State police have long insisted on retaining jurisdiction over probes of line-of-duty shootings by its troopers.
“PSP leadership have a somewhat arrogant opinion of their own superiority over any other law enforcement agency, which has contributed to their recalcitrant position,” the grand jury said.
Spokesman Ryan Tarkowski said state police will review the grand jury’s report and “respond as appropriate.”
Northampton County District Attorney John Morganelli, who has been sharply critical of the state police policy, released the 38-page report. He sought the grand jury after state police refused to allow his detectives to take the lead on a probe of a fatal trooper shooting near Easton. Troopers shot and killed Anthony Ardo on May 20 after he ignored their commands and attempted to light the fuse of a firework mortar around his neck.
The grand jury concluded that Ardo’s shooting was justified. At Morganelli’s behest, the panel then began investigating state police procedure on trooper-involved shootings, concluding after months of study that one of the nation’s largest law enforcement agencies is going about it the wrong way.
State police continued to insist that its policy works.
“The Pennsylvania State Police remains confident that the necessary protocols are in place to conduct all investigations in a fair, impartial, and transparent manner,” Tarkowski said. “The department has a breadth and depth of resources available ... that is unsurpassed by any other law enforcement agency in the commonwealth.”
