CITYWATCH In detective's death, sympathy goes to the police BY IAN DONNIS

Public sympathy seems firmly on the side of the Providence police after the April 17 shooting death of Detective James L. Allen, allegedly by a suspect undergoing questioning in a conference room at the police station. Much of this is due to how a well-liked 27-year veteran, who had volunteered for extra duty, is suddenly gone — every cop’s nightmare — leaving a wife and two daughters.

It’s quite a contrast from the polarization that followed when Officer Cornel Young Jr., who was black, was killed during a friendly-fire incident involving white colleagues in 2000. At the time, the response split largely on whether people were supporters or critics of a force with a bad reputation in Providence’s predominantly minority neighborhoods.

Since being brought in by Mayor David N. Cicilline in 2003, Colonel Dean Esserman, although perhaps not a favorite of the rank-and-file, has won credit for bringing more accountability and professionalism to the department. Still, when it comes to explaining the different public reactions to the deaths of Allen and Young, "I’m not sure one can make broad generalizations when an incident like this happens," says Steve Brown, executive director of the Rhode Island chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union.

For now, the civil rights community has taken a muted response to the appearance during arraignment of suspected shooter Esteban Carpio, whose eyes were badly swollen and a large portion of his face obscured by a white plastic Hannibal Lecter-type mask. In terms of Carpio’s appearance, "It raises questions," Brown says. "I think you will see a response from the civil rights community some time in the next week or so. Various civil rights groups have been talking about the matter and talking about how to proceed. I don’t think anybody is interested in jumping to conclusions at this point about what may have happened or who may have done something."

Even if Carpio was beaten after being taken into custody, it would cause little upset for the swath of the public whose sympathy and implicit trust instinctively go to the police in such a situation. For those inclined to view law enforcement with more skepticism, however, the specter of any sort of extra-judicial punishment is a slippery slope. The unusual use of the spit shield during Carpio’s arraignment only fanned speculation that he had been deliberately disfigured. As far as possible efforts by the defense to get images of Carpio without the shield, "I assume that’s something they would be looking at," Brown says.

Asked about the condition of the suspect, which caused relatives attending his arraignment Monday in Providence District Court to allege police brutality, Esserman told the Providence Journal, "He jumped out a third-story window and he struggled, in a tough struggle, to be apprehended on the ground . . . The only information I have is that it was a tough fight. It was not easy . . . to actually get the handcuffs on this fellow." The chief indicated the department would not remain indifferent if Carpio’s family made a complaint.

At mid-week, the focus remained on burying Detective Allen and caring for his family. As time moves forward, though, more scrutiny will likely go the question of whether Carpio was beaten, and if so, by whom and at what point in his detention.