The Arizona Boys Ranch this week selected a committee of high-profile Phoenix politicians and community leaders to evaluate its programs and allegations of abuse.

The group's formation comes weeks before the Arizona Department of Economic Security decides whether to renew the Boys Ranch's license, which expires Sept. 1.

The state regulatory agency has been investigating the March 2 death of 16-year-old Nicholaus Contreraz and other abuse allegations. Contreraz, of Sacramento, died from an undetected lung infection while being forced to do exercises at the Boys Ranch Oracle camp.

In 1994, the Boys Ranch formed a similar team that exonerated its employees and attacked state regulators after the state found residents had been abused.

The new committee and any investigators it hires will report to the group's chairman - former city of Phoenix Police Chief Dennis Garrett.

During Garrett's administration, from 1991 until May, black and Hispanic groups accused officers of brutality after three minority men died while in police custody.

In March, jurors returned a $45 million judgment against the Phoenix Police Department for the August 1994 death of an unarmed double-amputee placed in a choke hold during a traffic stop.

Rev. Oscar Tillman, president of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People's state chapter, yesterday criticized the Boys Ranch for forming the committee.

``This is not going to be the answer. Getting top people with names is their way to preserve their funding. This is appalling that they will try to stack the deck against these kids like this,'' he said.

Garrett, Phoenix's 1997 Man of the Year, was on vacation and unavailable for comment.

Boys Ranch spokeswoman Casandra McCray said the Boys Ranch board selected independent-minded and unbiased people.

McCray said ranch officials want to ensure that any problems at the facility do not recur at its centers for delinquent boys.

``Basically, we want them to take a look at Boys Ranch from an outside perspective to find out if anything needs fixing,'' she said.

She said she does not know how much Boys Ranch will spend on the study because committee members will decide its scope and whether to hire investigators.

The 14-member group is expected to release its recommendations in four months.

Aside from Garrett, the committee includes three former conservative Republican lawmakers - Speaker of the House Mark Killian, Sen. Larry Chesley, and Sen. Stan Barnes, now a Mesa lobbyist.

The committee also includes Republican Tempe City Councilman Ben Arredondo and Mark Schnepf, mayor of Queen Creek, where the Boys Ranch is headquartered.

The committee also includes several people from educational and religious organizations.

Committee member Killian in 1995 wrote a letter to state regulators, saying he was a strong supporter and believed ``that certain individuals have engaged in unsubstantiated witch hunts of this organization.''

Barnes is an avowed Boys Ranch backer as well.

``It's been a great program for California kids, who with little investigation, will talk your ear off as to how it changed their lives,'' he said yesterday. ``One, two or two dozen problems over a series of years doth not a crisis make in my opinion, but we'll come to conclusions about what to do to correct problems, if there are any,'' Barnes said.

Sen. Sandra Kennedy, a Phoenix-area Democrat serving on the committee, said, ``I don't think they're looking for a rubber stamp.''

Kennedy said that although she has heard both good and bad things about the ranch, ``I really would hate to see Boys Ranch go away. Our juvenile facilities are overcrowded now, and a program like Boys Ranch just should not go away because of one or two incidents.

``I know those are some serious incidents - but they want to make sure they continue on the right track and that their facility stays open, so they are looking for unbiased people to tell them what they can do.''

Sally Ordini, a DES spokeswoman, said she hopes the committee seeks input from experts in the areas of child welfare and rehabilitation, noting there are no juvenile justice experts in the group.

``We're glad that they seem to be open to taking a good look at themselves. It's too bad they waited until a tragedy occurred to have this kind of oversight and review,'' she said.

Arizona Boys Ranch outlines its program on its Web site.

Copyright 1998, The Arizona Daily Star