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Lincoln mayor: PD investigation should be confidential
By Edith Brady-Lunny
eblunny@pantagraph.com
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LINCOLN - The investigation into a long list of allegations involving improper procedures by the Lincoln Police Department should be handled as a confidential personnel matter, the city's mayor said Tuesday.

"This is an internal audit. Some of these things involve ongoing cases that the public shouldn't even know about," Lincoln Mayor Beth Davis told the Pantagraph.

The mayor was highly critical of Logan County State's Attorney Tim Huyett for releasing last month details of 20 criminal cases and investigations and the errors he believes local police may have made in handling those cases. Huyett gave the report to Davis last May.

"The state's attorney revealed information that could jeopardize or change the course of these cases," said Davis.

The public may or may not know the outco\ why Huyett waited so long to question the police procedures. Some of the incidents cited by Huyett in the nine-page report date back to 2002.

The complaints leveled by the prosecutor include allegations that police allowed a victim to be stabbed with a screwdriver while waiting for Logan County Sheriff's Department officers to assist with the call. Several criminal sexual assault cases were improperly investigated, according to Huyett.

The mayor contends that she let the City Council know some of the information relayed by Huyett but kept other information confidential. She said she is concerned that cases involving juvenile victims are among those disclosed.

In December, the council approved spending up to $10,000 for a consulting contract with Erlenbush. Davis said the retired police official was conducting an audit of police procedures and reviewing the information in the prosecutor's report when Huyett disclosed his accusations to the news media.

Huyett has declined to offer any comment or explanation for his decision to release the report last month.

The mayor said Tuesday she did not want to answer specific questions about Huyett's report.

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Reader comments on this story - 2 total

Note: All views and opinions expressed in reader comments are solely those of the individual submitting the comment, and not those of the Pantagraph or its staff.

State Police wrote on Mar 7, 2007 9:53 PM:

" Bring on the Illinois State Police I say, this sounds like it's shouting for an independent outside investigation. "

Beelzebub wrote on Mar 7, 2007 2:17 PM:

" If Ole Abe could see his namesake, he'd be very disappointed. "
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