MIAMI -- Fourteen police officers facing federal corruption charges were investigated by their own department for at least 293 allegations of misconduct, a newspaper investigation found.

The police department's internal investigations cleared the officers of all the accusations, which included witness reports or physical evidence of pistol whippings, broken noses, and in one case, rape, The Miami Herald reported in Sunday's editions.

Critics say the Miami police department ignored the allegations to protect officers who have been with the force for the past 20 years.

Criminal element

"A small clique of police officers came into the department in the early 1980s, a small criminal element sneaked through and some of them have risen high enough so they can protect each other," said H.T. Smith, a lawyer who has sued the department in other shooting cases.

Miami Police Chief Raul Martinez defended his department and said while they may have done a "lousy job disciplining these cases," there was no evidence of protection.

"I certainly understand why people would perceive it," Martinez said.

"Obviously, these officers have lied, and some of them were good at it."

Lawyers for the officers say the allegations by police suspects are false.

'Bogus allegations'

"They are aggressive," said Richard Sharpstein, who represents officers Arturo Beguiristain and Jorge Castello. "That doesn't upset the citizenry, but it upsets the criminals, and they make bogus allegations."

In September 2001, 14 members of special Miami police squads were charged in an FBI investigation into guns planted at crime scenes and lies to cover up wrongful police actions in four questionable shootings.

At least three people died in the shootings in the late 1990s. In one, a SWAT team fired 123 bullets into an apartment, then lied about finding a gun in a dead man's hand, the FBI said.

Two unarmed robbers were shot in the back while fleeing, and a homeless man was shot in the leg.

Two officers pleaded guilty in the charges and will testify against their colleagues.