Russians Hail Suffolk's Finest

MOSCOW, Feb. 24:

Det. Lieut. James Maher stepped delicately up the stairs in his shiny black patent-leather shoes, careful not to scuff the heels of Lieut. Col. Vitaly Kiiko's dusty combat boots.

Detective Maher, of the Suffolk County Police Department, was about to conduct the final session of a weeklong seminar to teach Russian police the crime-stopping methods of America's finest.

One of four commanders chosen by the Federal Bureau of Investiation's National Academy in Virginia to come to Russia, the detective spent the week explaining the safest way to chase a criminal, the most efficient way to assign beats, and the intricacies of his salary.

By Friday, the men had bonded.

Combat Conditions

"In America, wherever we go, we look at other police officers as our brothers and sisters," he somberly told the nearly 50 Russians gathered at Moscow's best police academy. "I'm glad to say that now the brotherhood extends as far as Russia."

Despite the warm talk of brotherhood, what Lieutenant Kiiko politely called the forces' "differing work conditions" could not be overlooked.

The burly commander of OMON, the Russian Interior Ministry's much-feared special forces division, last saw combat in Chechnya, at the height of fierce fighting that nearly destroyed the tiny southern republic and killed tens of thousands of people. Detective Maher's last medal comes from helping sort through the wreckage of TWA Flight 800.

Handling Riots

"We're stronger in practical training. The Americans' training is very theoretical," explained Pavel Ryz hen kov, chief of police training for Moscow Region and a seminar participant. "Unfortunately, war gives experience."

Since military service is also mandatory in Russia, Lieutenant Kiiko said, his officers were better at handling riots and large-scale emergencies.

"Look at the L.A. riots in 1992. It was a disaster. Americans just aren't prepared for that kind of thing," he said.

Chief Ryzhenkov also claimed that Russian criminals are "more aggressive. Almost no one gives up without a fight."

Automatic Weapons

Detective Maher, 46, a restrained, serious man with graying blond hair and a neat mustache, was not intimidated by the more militarized Moscow cops, some of whom carry automatic weapons while strolling their neighborhood beats.

The friendly American approach called "community policing," one of the seminar topics, is unlikely to take root in Moscow, where swarthy natives of the Caucasus, blamed for much of the city's rising crime, are routinely harassed during document checks and police graft is routine.

"Suffolk County has many of the same problems as a big city," Detective Maher said. "Narcotics, prostitution, robberies, auto theft, burglaries. Moscow is having a crime problem right now. Democracy is a whole new thing here. With the freedoms ensue the resulting kinds of problems of all free societies. Crime springs up."

High-Tech Envy

The American was optimistic, however, that the Russians could handle the rising lawlessness, describing them as far more professional than he had expected.

"I was flabbergasted by their dedication," he said.

The Russians were impressed as well. Lieutenant Kiiko said his men had decided the Americans' method of pursuing a fleeing car was safer, and would use it. They took envious note of the technology available to American police, such as highway speed scanners and computer data- bases that can instantly determine whether a suspect has a criminal record.

They were also interested in the Americans' experience in fighting financial crimes, like money-laundering and credit card fraud - felonies unknown in the former Soviet Union.

Salary Gap

But it was probably the Americans' high salaries and benefits that caused the biggest stir.

"When I told my colleagues that some of the Americans get over $100,000 a year, there was nervous laughter all around," said Chief Ryzhenkov.

Russians in the same jobs get about $500 a month at best.

"Russia is not the kind of country that can afford to have a cheap police force," he added.

Detective Maher agreed, pointing out that paying police well was one of the best guarantees against internal corruption, which plagues the Russian forces.

Routine Bribery

One officer at the seminar was sobered by the news that American traffic cops do not take cash from drivers. The Mayor of Moscow recently introduced a debit-card system for drivers to pay off traffic fines, hoping to make a dent in the current pocket-lining practice.

Born in Brooklyn, the grandson of a New York City cop and 25 years on the force himself, Detective Maher grew up in Holbrook, where he still lives with his wife. Besides working as a policeman, he teaches criminal justice at Suffolk Community College.

His experience in the Hamptons has been somewhat limited. "I made several purchases out there," he said, deadpan. "Cocaine, early 1980s. I was working undercover as a narc."

Organized Crime

For the trip to Russia, Detective Maher had to apply for a passport on short notice so he could join colleagues from Worcester, Mass., Los Angeles, and San Diego. The four were feted in Moscow by F.B.I. officials at the U.S. Embassy, taken to an opera at the Bolshoi Theater, and charmed by good-looking women at their hotel.

Chief William Baker, former Commissioner of Public Safety for the State of Massachusetts, conspiratorially showed off a scrap of paper with a phone number and "Anastasia" written on it.

The problem of Russian organized crime, a subject that has preoccupied both countries since Rus sian criminal gangs in the States started flexing their muscles, was downplayed at the seminar.

"The press shouldn't talk about it so much," barked Lieutenant Kiiko. "Yes, there is organized crime, but it's not centralized, not unified."

Police Mementos

Detective Maher, however, said the activity of the Russian mafia in the U.S. did come up. Last year, he told the group, he investigated a series of luxury car thefts in which the cars ended up in containers bound for Moscow.

Detective Maher left Moscow early the next day, laden with a Russian tea set, a bottle of vodka, and countless mementos from his Russian colleagues, including a police hat and an Interior Ministry beer stein.

"I don't know if they're equipped to deal with the crime here," he said, "but they're looking for ways. If they continue, things will get better."