THE TROUBLING CASE of Goose Creek police officers and their conduct at Stratford High School is now on Attorney General Henry McMaster’s desk. Mr. McMaster owes all involved a thorough and complete review of these events.

Unfortunately, that is not what Berkeley County residents received from their solicitor, Ralph Hoisington. Mr. Hoisington reviewed videotapes of the Nov. 5 raid and held a news conference to announce himself “appalled” by the scene. Frankly, so is just about everyone else who reviews the tapes. The impropriety of the whole event should be unquestioned at this juncture.

The question now is whether Goose Creek police officers violated the law when they stormed a high school hallway, drew their guns, cuffed students and forced to them to the floor for a drug search. No drugs were found among the more than 100 students involved.

Seventeen of the students have sued the school district and the police, alleging that their constitutional rights were violated by an unreasonable search and by denial of due process. The students’ complaint also says they were victims of assault, battery and false arrest.

At a news conference to announce he would refer the matter to the attorney general, Solicitor Hoisington said he had watched tapes of the event and read a State Law Enforcement Division report on it. As to the question of whether charges should be filed against the officers, Mr. Hoisington replied to The Post and Courier: “I could not reach that level of surety. It needs to be looked at further by an independent agency.” In a prepared statement also reported by the Charleston newspaper, the solicitor offered that, “While I am confident the goals of the Goose Creek Police Department were appropriate, the actual methods employed by certain officers were ill-advised at best. My review of the surveillance tapes and witness interviews left me with questions and concerns regarding the actions of several officers involved in the intervention.”

Mr. Hoisington went on to say some officers’ conduct clearly was more questionable than others, and then enumerated the state charges that would be possible if the officers’ actions rose to the level of crimes.

Despite this level of detail and concern about the events that transpired in the school hallway, Mr. Hoisington said he could not determine whether criminal charges should be filed because it would be a conflict of interest for his office. Mr. Hoisington sometimes prosecutes arrests made by Goose Creek police.

Let’s set aside the issue of whether it is valid to consider that a true conflict of interest. What is troubling is the way he raised the hopes of the parents and students involved by holding a news conference, only to announce a punt. Mr. Hoisington’s possible conflict existed from the moment this incident unfolded. He should have swiftly moved the matter out of his office. As it is, Mr. Hoisington appears to be trying to trade on public outrage about the incident while avoiding accountability for any decision to prosecute the officers.

We hope to see a more responsible course by Mr. McMaster. Citizens of Berkeley County and all of South Carolina deserve a thorough examination of the officers’ conduct as well as an up-or-down decision as to whether those appalling actions violated state law.