Some areas putting untrained police on duty

Lawsuits in response
In Illinois, Janice Cole, a 58-year-old nurse, died in 2004 when a police SUV driven by Sparta Police Officer Misty McPherson slammed into Cole's car during a chase.

Charles Chapman, the lawyer who helped Cole's family win $5.4 million in a lawsuit, said a policy that allows officers up to six months to enroll in the academy contributed to the woman's death. McPherson had not even started basic training.

"She didn't even know how to turn the sirens on," Chapman said.

Sparta's police chief did not return a call for comment.

In Mississippi, Greenwood Police Officer Casey Wiggins was captured by surveillance cameras at a high school in the Mississippi Delta in December, pointing his weapon at an unarmed student, 17-year-old James Marshall. Marshall, who was not disciplined by the school or charged with a crime, is suing for $2 million.

Police recruits in Mississippi have two years to get trained, during which time they are supposed to be supervised by a full-fledged officer. But no other office was visible in the surveillance tapes during the confrontation.

"Not only could Mr. Marshall have been killed, innocent bystanders could have been killed as well," said Carlos Moore, the student's lawyer. "Clearly, if Mr. Wiggins had been trained, he would have conducted himself in a more appropriate manner."

Wiggins, through his attorney, has said that he did no wrong and that Marshall resisted when the officer approached a group of students to see what they were up to. A hearing is set for March to determine if the officer should face charges.

Some states _ Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, Utah, Vermont and Wyoming _ require training before officers are put on the force. Elsewhere, the rules are different.

"The minute I say, `I do,' I can carry out the laws of small-town West Virginia," said Chuck Sadler, law enforcement training coordinator for West Virginia, where recruits have 90 days to apply to the police academy.

Some states like Tennessee, which allows officers six months to attend a training academy, have considered eliminating the grace period, said Brian Grisham, executive secretary of Tennessee's Peace Officers Standards and Training.

"The days of `Barney Fife, here's your gun and go' are over. You have to be trained first," Grisham said. "There's too much liability."

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