The officers' actions in the death of Nathaniel Jones were consistent with department training, policy and procedures, and with applicable laws, according to the internal investigation of the incident. Chief Tom Streicher signed off on it Wednesday.

He also wrote a second report to City Manager Valerie Lemmie in response to last month's recommendations by the independent Citizen Complaint Authority. The conclusions in the police reports differ dramatically from those drawn by the authority. The independent review board recommended that Lemmie "severely discipline" three of the officers for using excessive force.

Lemmie has not decided on discipline, if any, and said she will first consider all reports and recommendations.

Streicher's report says the authority should review police policy and federal law so its analyses are based on the U.S. Constitution, "rather than the subjective opinions of untrained evaluators."

Officers did not hit Jones with their batons after he was handcuffed, used their cuffs appropriately for a resisting felony suspect and attended to the dying man within a reasonable time, the police reports concluded.

Jones, 41, had ingested PCP and cocaine. He died, the coroner ruled, because of changes in his heart rhythm brought on the struggle with police. Contributing to his death were the drugs, heart disease and his weight of 342 pounds.

E-mail jprendergast@enquirer.com