Grand jury probing state police policy on trooper shootings

EASTON » A grand jury is investigating whether it’s appropriate for state police to investigate shootings by their own troopers, a prosecutor said Wednesday.

The panel has been hearing testimony on the long-standing state policy and should be ready to issue a report in a few weeks, Northampton County District Attorney John Morganelli said at a news conference.

Morganelli has been sharply critical of state police for refusing to relinquish their probe of the fatal shooting of a suicidal man, saying police departments should step aside when a shooting involves one of their own.

Guidelines issued by the Pennsylvania District Attorneys Association last year say that police shootings should be investigated by an independent agency.

“Evidence can be planted at a crime scene,” Morganelli said Wednesday, speaking generally. “I think that we’re always looking at trying to make sure that there’s public confidence in an investigation, and the best way to do that is to clear the decks and have the agency move out of the way.”

A state police spokesman did not immediately return an email for comment.

The grand jury report will not carry force, but Morganelli said it could spur change, either administratively or through legislation.