COMPLAINTS ABOUT OFFICERS DETAILED.

Byline: Betty Barnacle San Jose Mercury News 

Proportionately more citizen complaints are filed against minority police officers than white cops in San Jose, according to a study by the city's independent police auditor.

The greatest proportion of complaints were made against African-American and Asian-American officers.

While Teresa Guerrero-Daley, the auditor, studied all citizen complaints from the last six months of 1995, only 6 percent of complaints were sustained.

The study found that African-Americans, who make up slightly more than 5 percent of the police force, were named in 21 percent of the complaints. Asian-Americans, who hold 6-1/2 percent of the police positions were named in 20 percent of complaints.

Latinos, who make up 21 percent of the force, were the targets of 24 percent of the complaints, as were white officers, who make up 65 percent of the department. The ethnicity of the remaining officers was classified as other.

One explanation for the findings could be that minority officers are among the newest officers. As a result, they are assigned to patrol, where they meet the public more and are subject to more complaints. This explanation was offered by Guerrero-Daley, department psychologist Mike Roberts and San Jose Officer Ken Williams, president of the Southbay Association of Black Law Enforcement Employees.

Guerrero-Daley also said she learned from interviews that minority officers want even more than other young cops to be accepted by the rest of the department.

``And unfortunately, the department rewards enforcers, not peacekeepers,'' she said. ``I'd like commendations for officers who regularly do their job without any force. I'd like police to see citizens as their customers and bosses and to provide them services, like (Nordstrom) does.''

Williams said he would introduce the auditor's findings at his group's next meeting to see if members can explain the statistics.

Based on his experiences, Williams said the race of those who filed the complaints and the circumstances of the incidents should be studied before any conclusions are made.

Capt. Richard Arca, the department's first Filipino officer, also wanted more facts.

``There has to be a common denominator in all these complaints,'' he said.

Raul Martinez, a San Jose sergeant and president of the Latino Peace Officers Association of Santa Clara County, said that sometimes people from the officer's ethnic group are the toughest critics.

``From my own experience, I know that people of the same ethnic background as an officer sometimes want special treatment because you're a brother. But you can't do that. You have to enforce the law by the book. And some of them get angry and report you because they still want a break.'' Guerrero-Daley will discuss her findings with San Jose's City Council on April 16.