A St. Petersburg police chief is, once again, at the center of controversy, and racial insensitivity is, once again, the issue. Chief Mack Vines used the word "orangutan" when referring to the actions of a black man who was resisting arrest on a drug charge.

Vines made the comment Dec. 4 in a meeting with 40 investigators, and accounts of his statement reached some residents, who called City Hall to complain. Now, Mayor Rick Baker has ordered an internal review of the chief's words and actions. It should be completed by early next week.

Baker said he won't make a decision about Vines "until the facts are before me." That is appropriate. Baker understands the serious nature of the situation, so the community should give him the time to gather information and use his sound judgment.

Vines has been inconsistent in his response to the controversy he created. He apologized, but he also says he has no memory of using the word. He addressed his apology to the African-American community, but many white residents were also offended by the chief's remark.

Vines is right when he says context is important. He said he used the word orangutan to describe the suspect's actions -- wrapping his legs around his car's steering wheel to avoid arrest -- not his race. It could also be significant that Vines made the comment while justifying the use of force against suspects who resist arrest. There is a troubling history in the department of officers using excessive force when taking black suspects into custody.

Let's be clear. Mack Vines is not a racist, and he has had a long and distinguished law enforcement career. But he made a serious error of judgment, one his experience should have kept him from making. Comparing a black man, or even his actions, to an orangutan is a racial slur. It drives a wedge between black residents and their Police Department.

The incident also raises a larger question about Vines' performance during his three months as chief. Baker picked Vines not only for his experience but also to continue the policies established by his predecessor, Goliath Davis. Yet recent allegations of police heavy-handedness, particularly involving black suspects, have once again cast the department in a troubling light. It is not clear that Vines has kept his promise to the mayor.

Ultimately, the issue is not just what Vines said. It is about St. Petersburg and repairing a tear in its social fabric.

City officials cannot afford to lose the ground gained toward racial conciliation. Since 1996, when two nights of racial unrest followed the fatal shooting of a young black man during a traffic stop, city officials have made slow but steady advances. Under Davis, the city's first black police chief, the department began to earn the trust of black residents.

We should not underestimate the importance of such progress. St. Petersburg is enjoying an economic renaissance that promises to improve the quality of life for all. It can be sustained only as long as the city embraces its diversity. Above all, St. Petersburg wants to be known as a city that has learned from its painful past and moved forward.

Yet the situation is still tenuous enough that it can be reversed by one ill-chosen word. The police chief uttered such a word, and we need to know if it betrays a pattern of behavior within the department.

Vines has offered his apologies and been forgiven by some. But for many, both black and white, the damage cannot be so easily reversed.

Soon enough, Baker should know if the division between black residents and their Police Department is widening once again and if the police chief has lived up to his promise. If the Police Department has lost ground, Baker should take whatever action is necessary to regain it.

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