Cop probed over racist poster

INSIDE the locker of a narcotics cop, Philadelphia police officials recently made a shocking discovery: A cartoon of a man, half as an officer in uniform and half as a Klansman with the words: "Blue By Day - White By Night. White Power," according to police officials. The officer, Scott Schweizer, who has arrested countless drug suspects in predominantly African-American neighborhoods, was removed from his undercover police duties and given a desk job earlier this month, authorities said.

The disturbing find triggered an internal probe that widened yesterday as investigators began to explore whether the scope of the case is limited to Schweizer or somehow broader.

"It's certainly of great concern that someone would even think it's appropriate or think it's OK to even put something like that in a locker," Police Commissioner Charles H. Ramsey said yesterday. "We don't condone that kind of behavior."

Schweizer could face administrative action ranging from a written reprimand to dismissal. Schweizer did not return a phone call from the Daily News and did not respond to a note left by a reporter at his Northeast Philly home yesterday afternoon.

Roosevelt Poplar, a vice president of the Fraternal Order of Police, Lodge 5, in Philadelphia, said he was aware of the investigation but did not know its scope.

"We have no idea what the investigation entails at this time," Poplar said. "We have to give every member the benefit of the doubt before we make any statements or come to any conclusion."

Schweizer, 33, joined the force in June 1997 and makes $54,794 a year, city payroll records show. He became part of the elite Narcotics Strike Force about six years ago. As an undercover, plainclothes cop who worked day and night shifts, Schweizer was part of a surveillance team that watched drug buys and locked up hundreds of suspected drug dealers. He frequently testified in court as a witness for prosecutors.

Now law enforcement and legal experts question whether Schweizer's alleged behavior could jeopardize drug cases in which he was the arresting officer.

The case against Schweizer began earlier this month after an officer saw the racist drawing on the inside door of Schweizer's locker and complained to superiors.

"The investigation involves obviously very inappropriate material," police spokesman Lt. Frank Vanore said. "The material itself was disturbing and it launched an immediate internal investigation."

Supervisors within the Narcotics Strike Force treated Schweizer's locker as a crime scene, testing the paper and inside door for fingerprints. Schweizer told investigators that he had been framed and that someone must have planted the derogatory cartoon in his locker, according to police sources familiar with the investigation.

But only his fingerprints showed up on the paper, and other tests showed that the material had been in his locker for some time, the police sources said.

Since early January, Schweizer has been reassigned to desk duty at Police Headquarters, 8th and Race streets. In his new assignment, he takes accident reports over the phone.

Initially, the investigation was supervised by Chief Inspector William Blackburn of the Narcotics Bureau. Yesterday, however, the case intensified and was handed over to Deputy Commissioner Richard Ross, who oversees the Internal Affairs Bureau, authorities said.

"Basically we discovered additional information that has to be investigated before we can come up with a conclusion to our findings," said Chief Inspector William Colarulo, of Internal Affairs. "We have more interviews to do based on the information that was disclosed to us."

Colarulo said there is no time frame for completing the investigation, which he declined to discuss further.

Rochelle Bilal, president of the Guardian Civic League, which represents 3,000 African-American officers in Philadelphia, said the union has been monitoring the Schweizer case since the start. She called upon Ramsey to "do the right thing."

"African-American officers know that we work in an institution that is inherently racist and we also know that some of our colleagues tend to get comfortable with bigot behavior," Bilal said. "We are hoping that the new police commissioner, like the old police commissioner, takes a stand when it comes to racism in this department, and we will closely monitor the situation as it pertains to African-Americans in the city."

Reached last night, Ramsey said the investigation is exploring whether other officers knew about the alleged material in Schweizer's locker and if so, whether they condoned it. But so far, Ramsey said that the case "looks like an isolated incident" and that there is "no indication" of others being involved.

"We'll see what the investigation uncovers and let the cards fall where they may," Ramsey said.

"Just because he made the arrests, that doesn't necessarily mean that those cases are bad," Ramsey said. "You can't jump to that conclusion."

Cathie Abookire, spokeswoman for District Attorney Lynne Abraham, declined comment yesterday.

JoAnne A. Epps, a professor at Temple University's Beasley School of Law, who specializes in evidence and criminal procedure, said defense attorneys will likely salivate over the allegations against Schweizer, though getting a drug conviction overturned would require proof that the officer engaged in illegal activity.

"Treating black people badly is one thing; planting evidence on them is another thing," said Epps, who serves on the board of the Defender Association of Philadelphia and headed former Mayor John Street's Task Force on Police Discipline.

She added, "You don't win just because you were arrested by a racist, even if you would be able to prove it . . . But I think most defense attorneys would aggressively pursue this information. It's enormously troubling and enormously tantalizing, and it would be a mistake for any defense attorney to conclude that it's not going to go anywhere, even though it's a difficult burden." *

Isn’t this a case of free thought and speech?
I do not agree with what he is saying but where is this heading?
If you say the “N” word or don’t have “correct thinking or thoughts “ we’re sending ya to re education camps?

“But only his fingerprints showed up on the paper, and other tests showed that the material had been in his locker for some time, the police sources said.”

Ruh-Roh! Busted!

Depends on the interpretation of the cartoon. Picture this hanging in a young balck students locker. Now it is a cartoon slandering all cops as being racists. Could be seen as a hate crime against cops.

Good point.
We have /cross-gender/ now we can have CROSS-RACIAL with one stupid poster/sign/letter designed to tick off the one who is looking at it regardless of sex, color or creed.
Kind of like the old running gag on shows like SNL, with the character who no one is sure whether a man or woman. They always give them a name like Pat or Chris etc..

I would think not. I generally fall on the “pro-cop”, “anti-PC” side of things but detest the “KKK” mindset with a passion. If he put the thing in his locker, and it appears he did, screw him. More fuel to the “cops hate blacks” fire that permeates the inner cities.

“Isn’t this a case of free thought and speech?”

Not if you agree to obey certain work rules. And not if there’s any indication his opinion of blacks affected how he treated them on the job (of course cops have NEVER done that), which I’m sure is one of the things they’re investigating.

Think about wherever it is you work; do you have absolute freedom of speech? Can you call him an SOB if he is one? What about calling him an “N” if he’s black? Sure. But the boss has the absolute freedom to fire you for it.

“African-American officers know that we work in an institution that is inherently racist...”

Well, I’m glad it’s such an open and shut case for the ‘institutionalized racism’ crowd.

Polygraphs, “truth serum”, hypnosis, voice analyzers ... are not generally recognized yet some individuals have the power to view the intent of others.
How does this work?
Years ago there was a guy “Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men? The Shadow knows!”
Always thought he was fictional character?

Well he obviously didn’t show very good judgment that is for sure.
Did his views affect his performance?
Ok, in the same vein, should a cop be discharged if he were say a member of the KKK? Whether or not his personal views affected his performance?
See if the shoe is on the other foot and it were say a muslim with anti Christian literature I’m sure not a word would be said.

Isn’t this a case of free thought and speech?
I do not agree with what he is saying but where is this heading?
_________

This guy holds a job that requires he be color blind and wholly unbiased. A poorly trained defense attorney, if representing a minority, could eat this guy alive on the stand and cause “reasonable doubt” in regards to any and all evidence that he tries to present to the court. He will be fired and it will be correct.

I’ll advocate for the devil. So here it is.

Up until the time he lied and said that someone else must have set him up (and this was a huge mistake, I think), had he committed a crime or even any professional misconduct? Did he violate work rules?

The claim is that this is inappropriate conduct. I don’t see it. Hanging a cartoon in one’s locker is not inapproporiate conduct. What is really being investigated is not any conduct at all but rather - and here is the really important point - a PRESUMED STATE of MIND. I used to have a Dilbert cartoon hanging on my cube. I thought it was funny. Now, what if some VP had concluded that it revealed that I hated the company and all its management? What if I didn’t feel that way at all? What if it was just a cartoon?

That’s it. That’s the best I can do. How could he have been so stupid? And then to lie?

Philly Freepers can flame away, but "The City of Brotherly Love" has historically been one of the most racist cities in America both in terms of blacks hating whites and whites hating blacks. Back in the 1950s, for example, they actually stopped having HS football games at night, because they had such a problems with racial fights at said events.

There is a great old Robert Crumb cartoon that shows a mob of blacks and whites fighting eachother which says "Welcome to Philadelphia, the City of Brotherly Love."

“You don’t win just because you were arrested by a racist, even if you would be able to prove it”

Tell that to OJ.

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