I have two Starrs, DA and SA, both in .44. I have handled the Pietta copies and can only say that I wouldn't buy one to shoot. One I handled kept dropping the loading lever, just while being handled in the store. Another had a selector catch that wouldn't move, probably because it was made wrong. Another wouldn't stay cocked. IMHO, no one should judge the Starr from the Pietta copies.
For those interested, the DA Starr is not a true DA. It is what is called a trigger cocker, meaning that operating the trigger cocks the hammer but does not necessarily fire the gun. There is a selector on the back of the trigger. In the "down" position, pulling the trigger cocks the hammer but does not release it. You have to release the trigger, insert the index finger into the space behind the trigger and pull the rear "trigger", actually the sear. In the "up" selector position, pulling the trigger all the way will cock the hammer and then the trigger will trip the sear and release it, giving a simulation of "double action" fire. The hammer cannot be cocked by hand; there is a short spur, but only for lowering the hammer without firing.
For DA firing, the gun would have been awkward and inaccurate. For single action, it would have been a PITA. I suspect the officer was not concerned with the quality of the Starr (they were considered well made and reliable enough) but with the badly thought out concept for a combat revolver.
Starr later made a single action, which was equally awkward, but was at least conventional and relatively easy to use. The government bought 2250 of the .36 caliber DA, some 23,000 of the .44 caliber DA and 32,000 of the .44 SA. The .36 model is rare; the .44 models, while they are not as common as Colts or Remingtons, are fairly common and often seen at gun shows.
Jim