On Jan. 12, 2010, Homewood teenager Jordan Miles received, in the words of his lawyer, "an excessive beating" by three Pittsburgh police officers. Mr. Miles wasn't a gang member. He wasn't packing heat or carrying drugs. He was a high school honor student on the way to his grandmother's house.

The undercover officers, who were sweeping the street for illegal guns, said a bulge in Mr. Miles' pocket caught their attention. They said they identified themselves before the student ran away. The officers are white; Mr. Miles is black.

When the officers caught the lanky senior of the city's Creative and Performing Arts High School, they apparently didn't go easy. Photos of Mr. Miles' swollen face testify to the rough treatment he received. To add insult to injury, Mr. Miles was charged with resisting arrest, charges that were thrown out a few weeks later.

Officers Michael Saldutte, Richard Ewing and David Sisak were put on paid leave pending a review by the Office of Municipal Investigations. While OMI reports typically are not made public, this case attracted so much attention that the findings should have been released. One year after the incident, Pittsburgh is still waiting.

Mr. Miles since has filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against the city and the officers for using excessive force. The suit is in mediation. Meanwhile, the Justice Department, which has jurisdiction over the case, was conducting its own investigation last year, but no charges have been announced.

A year after what looks like the unnecessarily harsh treatment of a law-abiding citizen, there is no sign of movement toward a just conclusion.

Pittsburghers have a right to know what happened to Jordan Miles. He and the officers have a right to see the facts aired in public. Until that day, a cloud will hang over Pittsburgh and what passes for justice, accountability and transparency in this city.