The God Squad

Police scandals have erupted lately in many cities, including Philadelphia, Chicago, New York, Indianapolis and Houston. What can a beleaguered mayor do about it? In Cleveland, where various police have stood accused of protecting pimps, accepting payoffs to influence court cases and operating burglary rings, Mayor Ralph J. Perk is attacking corruption from the highest ground. Two weeks ago he picked a panel of five clergymen to investigate the charges. It was a beautifully balanced ticket: two Roman Catholic priests, one Baptist minister who is a black, one Hungarian Reformed Protestant minister and one rabbi.

Almost universally, Perk's idea was condemned as a copout. "A ridiculous diversion," scoffed the Cleveland Plain Dealer, which has been uncovering much of the chicanery. Republican Perk's political opponents said that he was merely grandstanding to raise support for his announced candidacy for the U.S. Senate, and indeed Perk has been having trouble getting his campaign off the ground. Speaking of the clergymen, Gerald T. McFaul, Democratic majority leader in the city council, thundered:

"What the hell do they know about crime? These are men who have led sheltered lives. To them everyone is a good guy because that's what the Lord says." Typically, one patrolman echoed:

"Perk didn't get investigators--he got exorcists."

Chastened by the outcry, Perk last week relented and added four laymen to the commission; but the clergymen remain in the majority. A smart investigator, after all, need not be a prosecutor or a lawyer. Indeed, a corrupt cop might just be more willing to confess to clergymen, if only because they can keep secrets.

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