BY TANYA BRICKING
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Lorenzo Collins Douglas Depodesta

More than five months after Lorenzo Collins' death, his case has taken on a life of its own.

An Office of Municipal Investigation (OMI) report released Friday was the latest to stir the controversy: Should the escaped mental patient have died at the hands of police?

CLICK HERE for a summary and links to the three-day Enquirer series sparked by the shooting death of Lorenzo Collins.

Just after City Manager John Shirey announced that the officers involved were cleared of wrongdoing, he asked last month for the city's OMI to investigate. The investigative team was made up of Deborah Heater and Michael McDaniel, two OMI investigators, and Frank Prouty and John Williams, two employees of the city solicitor's officer.

The report's author and chief OMI investigator, Ernest McAdams Jr., was part of the team.

"Ultimately, I hope that we can all realize that this is one of those unfortunate things that will plague us as a society," he said. "And I don't know there's a cure-all for it. You hope that it's a call for training and that it won't happen again."

Cincinnati police have already taken action on some of Mr. McAdams' recommendations. They are putting more supervisors on the street, requiring officers to carry police batons and looking at ways to improve training.

Friday, police officials declined to comment on OMI findings until they had had time to review it. University of Cincinnati police also declined to respond.

The attorney for the Collins family, Kenneth Lawson, said the report left many questions.

Mr. Lawson pointed to what he said appeared to be a lackadaisical approach to securing eyewitnesses. In interviewing witnesses, OMI states: "Requests were made to interview several of the civilian witnesses. Appointments were made, but the civilians did not appear."

Mr. Lawson said he wonders why OMI investigators were setting up appointments, instead of going out on the streets and to homes to find key witnesses.

Mr. Lawson also questioned the makeup of the investigative team. Two of OMI's investigators are from the city solicitor's office, which is now defending the city against a lawsuit by the Collins family, Mr. Lawson said.

Another problem, Mr. Lawson said, was with the OMI investigator at the scene of the shooting. He "was called and briefed at the scene," the report said, "but did not participate in the initial police interviews and was asked not to collect the names of civilians and witnesses at the scene."

In fact, one of OMI's recommendations was that "All witnesses should be asked to give a written account immediately after the event occurs. If OMI is going to investigate, it must begin immediately as provided for in the ordinance."

Previous stories

20 PROTEST AT COP'S HOME July 13, 1997
COLLINS CASE TO GET PUBLIC REVIEW July 3, 1997
POLICE ORDERED TO CARRY BATONS July 2, 1997
REVIEWS CLEAR POLICE IN COLLINS SHOOTING July 1, 1997
COLLINS CASE IS BEING DISTORTED An Editorial, June 8, 1997
POLICE SUPPORT OFFICERS IN SHOOTINGS June 5, 1997
POLICE UNION, PROTESTERS PLAN DEMONSTRATIONS June 3, 1997
ENOUGH GUILT TO SHARE Laura Pulfer column, June 3, 1997
SHOOT FIRST, ASK QUESTIONS LATER Peter Bronson column, June 1, 1997
COLLINS PROTESTS CONTINUE May 31, 1997
RADIO LINKS ERRATIC IN COLLINS CHASE May 30, 1997
POLICY ON POLICE HOLDS UNCLEAR May 30, 1997
POLICE SUMMARY OF ITS INVESTIGATION May 29, 1997
DIAGRAM OF THE SHOOTING SCENE May 29, 1997
NO CRIME FOUND IN COLLINS SHOOTING May 29, 1997
NINE MINUTES OF CONFUSION: THE SHOOTING OF LORENZO COLLINS May 27, 1997
DIAGRAM RECONSTRUCTING THE EVENTS May 27, 1997
TRAINING, POLICIES AND POLICE ACTION May 27, 1997
WHY DID THE COPS KILL LORENZO? Peter Bronson column, May 25, 1997
BORGMAN CARTOON May 25, 1997
PUSH FOR POLICE REVIEW FEARED May 9, 1997
FBI TO REVIEW COLLINS CASE May 8, 1997
MARCHERS VOW SEASON OF DISRUPTIONS May 5, 1997
PROSECUTORS GET REPORT ON FATAL SHOOTING April 29, 1997
SHOOTING PROTESTERS ALLEGE POLICE BRUTALITY April 17, 1997
DEMONSTRATORS CITE SHOOTING OF MENTAL PATIENT March 24, 1997
BAPTIST MINISTERS PROTEST AGAINST POLICE March 20, 1997
LAWSUIT SEEKS $5 MILLION March 13, 1997
PUNISH POLICE, MARCHERS URGE March 5, 1997
FATAL SHOOTING CONCERNS COMMUNITY March 2, 1997
PROBE: POLICE FIRED FOUR SHOTS AT MAN WITH BRICK Feb. 25, 1997
MAN SHOT BY POLICE AFTER CHASE Feb. 24, 1997