Across the Nation

Court convicts 3 Los Angeles officers

LOS ANGELES - Three officers accused of framing gang members were convicted of conspiracy and other crimes yesterday in the first trial resulting from the biggest police corruption scandal in Los Angeles history.

After weighing testimony from a parade of gang members and police officers, the Superior Court jury found Sgts. Brian Liddy and Edward Ortiz and Officer Michael Buchanan guilty. A fourth officer, Paul Harper, was acquitted of all charges.

"There's good cops and there's bad cops," jury foreman Victor Flores said. "A lot of us on the jury felt that they just didn't happen to cover themselves enough and they never thought it would come back to haunt them."

All four officers were suspended after their arrests. The convicted officers face one to four years in prison at sentencing Jan. 16, though defense attorneys said they will appeal.

The scandal, centered within the anti-gang unit at the LAPD's Rampart station, involves allegations that officers framed gang members, planted evidence, committed perjury and even shot innocent victims.

The scandal has led to the dismissal of about 100 criminal cases tainted by police testimony. Dozens of officers have quit or have been fired or suspended. According to some estimates, it may cost the city $125 million to settle lawsuits resulting from the scandal.

Boston plays host to Amtrak bullet train

WASHINGTON - A champagne christening in Washington, a gala welcome in New York and fireworks in Boston were on track today to celebrate the debut, at last, of America's first bullet train.

The VIP-only inaugural run of Amtrak's Acela Express, however, is just the first step on a long and costly road toward European-style high-speed train travel in the United States.

If the idea catches on, Amtrak sees a bright future for itself and for U.S. rail travel. "Acela Express is the leader of all that is yet to come," said Wisconsin Gov. Tommy Thompson, chairman of Amtrak's board of directors.

If not, Acela Express could be the swan song for the federally subsidized railway that is under orders from Congress to become financially self-sufficient by 2003. Amtrak is relying on the service to earn $180 million a year.

Proponents say high-speed rail is needed regardless of Amtrak's future, as an alternative to overcrowded air travel. But that would require billions of public dollars to lay new tracks in some corridors, straighten curves, eliminate highway crossings and perform other upgrades of the nation's rail network.

"We've been willing to spend billions and billions of dollars on highways but reluctant to spend money on the alternatives," said Anne Chettle, director of public affairs for the High-Speed Ground Transportation Association, a trade group in Washington.

"Hopefully, if the Acela is successful, maybe that will start to change the attitude."

A year behind schedule, Acela Express begins daily service in the Northeast on Dec. 11, with a top speed of 150 mph. Today's debut was to start in Washington and end in Boston, with a stop in New York.

Once a leader in rail travel, the United States has fallen decades behind other countries. Japan's Shinkansen trains, introduced just before the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, regularly hit 186 mph and have reached maximum speeds of 275 mph in test runs. France's TGV trains, launched in the late 1960s, also cruise at 186 mph.

Passenger trains in Spain, Germany, Great Britain, Sweden and Italy regularly exceed 100 mph. South Korea, Australia and Taiwan are developing high-speed train lines.

In the United States, the top speed for most passenger trains outside the Northeast Corridor - the area between Washington and Boston where tracks have been modernized - is 79 mph.

Acela Express operates with a sensor-driven tilt system that allows the train to maintain high speeds through curves. The new trains will top out at 150 mph, shaving enough time that Amtrak officials believe it can compete with airlines.

A nonstop trip from New York to Washington aboard the Acela Express will take two hours, 28 minutes, about a half-hour faster than the current Metroliner service, which it is replacing. A trip from New York to Boston will take three hours, 23 minutes, about 45 minutes faster than current trips.

A one-way coach ticket between Washington and New York will be $143, up from $122 now. Between New York and Boston it will cost $120, up from $57. Amtrak will continue to offer less expensive fares aboard conventional trains.

For now, Acela Express will reach its top speed only through a portion of Rhode Island and Massachusetts. Elsewhere, it will be slowed by congested tracks, aging tunnels and bridges, and safety concerns at grade crossings. Only money can fix those problems.

A bill still alive in the lame-duck session of Congress would allow Amtrak to raise $10 billion over 10 years through the sale of bonds to finance high-speed train lines around the country. States would cover 20 percent of the cost.

Among the projects under consideration:

- North Carolina officials are working on environmental studies for a train that would reach 110 mph between Charlotte and Washington. Rebuilding the corridor for high-speed service is expected to cost $1.5 billion.

- The Midwest Regional Rail Initiative proposes a high-speed train network, with speeds eventually reaching 110 mph, radiating from Chicago to nine states over 3,000 miles of track. Estimated cost: $4.1 billion.

- The California High-Speed Rail Authority proposes train service reaching 200 mph linking Los Angeles to San Francisco and Sacramento. A new 700-mile rail line - free of any road crossings and dedicated only to passenger bullet trains - could cost $25 billion.

Ultimately, America's fastest train may not run on traditional rails. Groups in seven states - California, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Maryland, Nevada and Pennsylvania - are competing for federal funds to build the nation's first rail system based on magnetic levitation.

"Maglev" trains could achieve speeds exceeding 240 mph. The Federal Railroad Administration plans to announce next month which of the seven competing projects will get funding for development and construction.

Bishops pledge to welcome immigrants

WASHINGTON - The nation's Catholic bishops have pledged at their fall conference to welcome immigrants.

On Tuesday, the National Conference of Catholic Bishops adopted a unified Spanish translation of the Bible to use at Spanish masses nationwide.

The bishops were expected to approve a lengthy pastoral letter to their 60 million followers in the United States, calling on every parish to welcome immigrants. The letter also confesses that the church often has allowed "sinful patterns of chauvinism, prejudice and discrimination that deny the unity of the human family.