Cops On Trial

THE CHARGES CAME QUICKLY AND HARD: MURder. Manslaughter. And the message was clear: Detroit is not Los Angeles. Criminal charges have been brought against four Detroit police officers in the killing of black motorist Malice Green, allegedly beaten to death by police earlier this month. Two white officers, Larry Nevers and Walter Budzyn, will be tried on second-degree-murder charges and could get life in prison if convicted. Freddie Douglas, a black cop, stands accused of involuntary manslaughter, which carries a maximum 15-year sentence, and willful neglect of duty, punishable by as much as a year. Officer Robert Lessnau, who is white, faces a term of as much as 10 years if found guilty of assault. Defense lawyers have come out swinging, playing up an autopsy report that shows Green had traces of alcohol and cocaine in his body. The next hearing is Dec. 14.