Pittsburgh Post-Gazette from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania • Page 9

THE STATE PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE TUESDAY, AUGUST 13, 1996 A-9 4) i If Errors over police admitted Mayor says city may have dealt poorly with complaints TOM HRITZ 1 1 Kwait, head of the office of municipal investigations, who began his job July 3. "When there is a pattern of possible misconduct, we want to raise the red flag." In addition, McNeilly said, he wants to review the records of nearly 30 officers who've had at least 10 complaints filed against them in the last 10 years. In all, bureau commanders are overseeing 30 committees, established by McNeilly, that will overhaul policies by the end of next year. What is more, the chief issued a letter to all officers yesterday explaining a new mission-and-values statement that each will carry. "Accountability, integrity and respect will be our guiding principles as we move forward in making changes within the Bureau of Police, and as each officer performs his or her SEE POLICE, PAGE A-10 ByJohnnaA.

Pro Post-Gazette Staff Writer Mayor Murphy acknowledged yesterday that city officials might not have dealt properly with complaints of misconduct filed against city police officers the first such public admission on his part since the Pittsburgh Police Bureau came under fire earlier this year for what critics say is a widespread pattern of abuse. Murphy, who continues to be a staunch defender of the beleaguered force, said the administration might have been lax in cases where the accusations involved only the complainant and an officer or when an officer was the target of a series of similar complaints. "If the system fell down, it was in dealing with the gray areas where there is not clear evidence that a police officer acted improperly," the mayor said. "We probably were not as aggressive as we should be there." Murphy made the comments during a press conference where he and police officials discussed proposed reforms in the Police Bureau that include, among other things, clarifying the disciplinary code; requiring a Police Bureau supervisor to go to a scene and write a report any time an officer uses force in making an arrest; implementing a system for evaluating officers; and updating departmental rules and regulations. Murphy said one of the key elements of the reform plan would be a new system by which complaints against officers are tracked.

Any officer who accumulates three complaints will be given additional training, counseling or both. "What we are suggesting is that we will intervene if an officer has three complaints," Murphy said. He was joined at the press conference by police Chief Robert W. McNeilly who took over April 3, and David J. Lake FongPost-Gazette Mayor Murphy, with Chief Robert W.

McNeilly left, and David J. Kwait of the Office of Professional Standards, explains police reforms yesterday. 1 1 mil i ifiiip ii ii i i urn up ii ifiiijiii 1 "I tpfWM'WWWWW'IIMiMUii Hi iijii mm miii i milium ill pumni i i niiipniiiii ipnw in H'luniM urn iiiBiiBijiiPUPmii! t()MF u- C. tA.V Why isn't Kemp at top of ticket? Less than 48 hours after word leaked that Jack Kemp would be Bob Dole's running mate, a national poll shows that the addition of Kemp to the Republican ticket has narrowed Dole's 23-point deficit against the First Guy to nine points. Now, does that prove that American voters are fickle, or what? Maybe it does.

But maybe it also shows something that the national Republican Party should take stock of although it's too late now. The voters obviously like Kemp a lot more than they like Dole. So why isn't Kemp the one running for president? That's a question Republican delegates will be asking themselves in November after the election is over and the First Guy gets another four years of sanctuary in the White House. A lot of people seem to think that if the Pirates leave Pittsburgh, they'll quickly be replaced by a minor-league team. The way they have played this summer, it would be a case of a minor-league team replacing a minor-league team.

There are many things that are hard to understand about the Pittsburgh Pirates, and here is one of them. Here they are, absolutely mired in troubles. As of yesterday, they had the fourth-worst win-loss record in the majors. But that's nothing compared to the financial problems the team faces, especially in the light of one of the team's partner owners Frank Fuhrer pulling his $5 million out of the kitty last week. When a gung-ho Pittsburgh sports guy like Fuhrer jumps ship on a local sports deal, you know it's in trouble.

So what do the Pirates do while all this bad stuff is happening? Like a lot of people facing big problems, they go on a shopping spree and buy themselves something really expensive. They offer a kid from Atlanta named Kris Benson a $2 million bonus just to sign a contract. Sure, Kris Benson was the Pirates' first-round draft pick. But can an organization facing financial ruin like the Pirates do a crazy thing like that? I guess so. That's major-league baseball.

Just plain crazy. But it could get crazier. The time will come when a political decision will have to be made to find the money to build the Pirates a new stadium to keep them here. In other words, a decision will have to be made to determine how your money and mine will be used to pay $2 million signing bonuses to players who have not yet worn the Pirates' uniform. Before that time comes, it would be nothing less than immoral for the political powers not to conduct a referendum to deter If you were trying to sell the new revamped Noah's Ark ride to a movie studio, you could call it an "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom" meets "Speed" bonanza.

Heidi ThomsenPost-Gazette photos Katie King, foreground, and Rose Radovic, in rear, try to negotiate a passageway inside Noah's Ark as the walls and ceiling move around them. The Kennywood amusement reopened yesterday with high-tech updating. Kennywood is rocking the boat :5 4 mine if you really want to see your By Patricia Lowry Post-Gazette Staff Writer So, Aaron and Shawn Beedham of Charleston, S.C., you're the first Kennywood visitors to try the new Noah's Ark. What did you think? "Kinda scary. Kinda weird," said 8-year-old Aaron.

"It wasn't what I thought it would be," said a disappointed Shawn, who just turned 11. How so? "They said we would get wet" And you did get wet, right? "I thought we would get wetter." No, you won't need a bathing suit to experience Noah's Ark, which opened yesterday at noon after almost a year of construction. The new ride is essentially the old one, augmented with high-tech and Hollywood twists. Built in 1936, Noah's Ark is one of the last of the great old pseudo-scary funhouses. Almost two dozen Arks were built in the 1920s, from California to Massachusetts.

Now Kennywood's Ark, the last one built, is the only one left in this country, though Britain still claims two. Fear not, Ark lovers: the big, orange boat still rocks, the moving stairs still move, the floor still shakes you back and forth and up and down until your legs turn to Jell-O. While the boat itself has been completely rebuilt, it's the outside that's really new, with three additions that give the old-fashioned Ark a ride-the-movies feel. If you were a screenwriter selling it to a studio, you could hype it as "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom" meets "Speed" meets "The Poseidon Adventure." The renovation was sparked when Kennywood carpenters discovered last summer that the 60-year-old Ark was in need of repairs. "Once they got into it, they realized it was in worse shape than they thought," said spokeswoman Mary Lou Rosemeyer.

"So we decided to make it a tremendous attraction." Since 1969, when the Ark was last renovated, visitors have entered through the mouth of a whale, walking on its soft, spongy tongue. The big blue whale is gone, replaced with the more menacing "Elevator of Doom," which creates the sensation of a rise and sudden drop into a dusty archaeological site packed with skeletons, spiders, gilded pots and pools of red-cellophane blood. Also new is the "High Seas Storm" room, in which visitors cross a concrete bridge while the hull of the Ark spins around them although you'll swear it's you that's doing the spinning. SEE NOAH'S ARK, PAGE A-10 it it' i -rM" j. 1 I i 'x 4i 1 tA 1- Matt Musico steadies a ladder for Rodney Yanch as the Kennywood employees put finishing touches on the Ark.

money spent in sucn a recwess, wasteful manner. Why is it that one of those little folding umbrellas operates flawlessly when it's not raining, but suffers total mechanical failure when a downpour erupts? It's no wonder that Bud-weiser bragged so much about being the Official Beer of the Olympics. It had its own little monopoly. Some people who went to Atlanta told me Budweiser was the only beer sold at most of the temporary concession stands. Culling Bethel Park's deer population Dy destroying some of the animals is an idea born none too soon.

But wouldn't it make more sense to bring the deer down with bullets than with broadhead arrows? True, there's always the chance that a glancing bullet could hit someone. But the same thing could happen with an arrow. But with expert marksmen (markspersons?) doing the shooting, the chances of that happening would be slim and none. Bullets would be quicker and less painful. The kill would be greater.

And the chances of a fatally wounded deer stumbling into Board ruling means tax breaks for some presence at the workshop, which will draw more than 20,000 rnostj black Christian musicians to tht; David L. Lawrence Convention Center this week. And they assure you that God never fails show. The workshop, which mixes wof' ship, performances, recording sessions and courses for college credit' should be an economic boon to Pittsburgh, said Al Hobbs of India napolis, the immediate pasf chairman. "But it is not sufficient for us jus( to touch the purse strings of the.

city. We want to ensure that tha SEE GOSPEL, PAGE A-ltf Thomas Connolly, director of certifications for the Tax Equalization Board, said the ruling also reflected rising property values. "What it shows is that real estate values in Allegheny County are increasing. The overall value of real estate in Allegheny County is appreciating," he said. Connolly acknowledged that the county's goal should be to keep assessments in line with rising property values.

Standing to lose as a result of the ruling are school districts and municipalities, including the cash-strapped city of Pittsburgh. The SEE TAXES, PAGE A-10 Gospel Music Workshop uplifts city By Ann Rodgers-Melnick Post-Gazette Staff Writer The Rev. Jesse Jackson is expected to address the Gospel Music Workshop of America on Thursday. The Rev. Al Sharpton was expected to preach yesterday, but failed to show up.

Organizers, however, will tell you that God is the really important because there was so much deviation between assessments and true market values, the county had to tax new construction and improved or expanded structures under a rate determined by the state, in this case 212 percent. Property owners who win tax appeals also qualify for the lower rate. The 21.2 percent is substantially lower than the county rate of 25 percent By Mark Belko Post-Gazette Staff Writer Owners of new or improved homes and buildings in Allegheny County may reap a tax break starting next year, in part because of the continuing problem of assessments not accurately reflecting property values. A ruling last month by the State Tax Equalization Board said that someone's yard very bad PR would be greatly reduced. Last but not least, I did it again.

Sorry, Sis. It's a little late, but Happy Birthday, Ange..