Police panel likely to OK settling claims

The panel that oversees expenditures for the Metropolitan Police Department is expected today to approve spending $500,000 to settle two separate civil-rights claims against the agency.

The settlements - $225,000 to Lawrence Panaro and $275,000 to Dennis Jaeger - would be the largest awards given by the Metropolitan Police Department Fiscal Affairs Committee since $1.1 million was paid to the mother, daughter and son of casino floorman Charles Bush, who was killed by police in his home in 1990.

Jaeger, the owner of Southwestern Signs, was involved in an exchange of gunfire with police in 1990 after officers came to his house to quell a domestic violence call.

He was acquitted in 1993 of attempted murder charges and filed a civil-rights suits against the Police Department and officers Janet Beck and Dennis McGuiness.

In September, a settlement was reached between the department and Jaeger's attorney, Cal Potter, who could not be reached for comment Tuesday.

The department's legal counsel, Walt Cannon, said "potential adverse exposure exists in this case," and he recommended approval of the settlement.

In the second case, Panaro was arrested and prosecuted on charges of money laundering and drug dealing.

The 15 felony charges were dismissed in 1993 by a federal judge who ruled that the police officers' actions in the case were coercive and that their veiled threats to Panaro were outrageous conduct.

Panaro has maintained that undercover officers enticed him to launder $22,400 in what was called drug money, but he instead gambled the money away.

After his offer to repay the money was refused, the police produced another undercover officer posing as a Colombian drug lord and tried to snare Panaro into selling several kilograms of cocaine.

At the drug buy, Panaro was so afraid that he fled the scene without taking the drugs.