Embattled DA Williams appoints veteran cop as chief of detectives
Seth Williams, who pleaded not guilty to corruption and bribery-related charges unveiled last month, has agreed to a temporary suspension of his law license but has remained in office.
Though under federal indictment and facing calls for his resignation, District Attorney Seth Williams on Monday appointed a veteran Philadelphia police official as acting chief of county detectives.
Staff Inspector Michael Cram, until recently the commanding officer of one of the city's most violent police districts, will take over from Claude Thomas, who left the DA's Office last week, according to a spokesman.
The move comes a week after former District Attorney Lynne M. Abraham and defense attorney Richard Sprague sued to try to remove Williams from office. Williams, who pleaded not guilty to corruption and bribery-related charges unveiled last month, has agreed to a temporary suspension of his law license but has remained in office in an administrative capacity.
Williams and the Disciplinary Board of the Supreme Court submitted joint paperwork last Tuesday to temporarily suspend his license while he remains under indictment. The court has not yet acted upon that filing, a process a spokeswoman said Monday typically takes 10 to 15 days.
Cram is a 24-year veteran of the Police Department and was promoted from captain to staff inspector last month after serving in North Philadelphia's 25th District for three years. He will remain employed by the police while detailed to the District Attorney's Office.
Cram said he was "looking forward to the new challenge" and not apprehensive about joining the office. He said he was excited about the opportunity to work with an investigative unit, since he has spent most of his career in and around patrol operations.
Williams, in a statement, praised Cram's leadership, community engagement efforts, and military service, saying he "will be an enormous asset to the work we do."
Williams also thanked Thomas, though he did not say why Thomas was no longer with the office. Spokesman Cameron Kline said Thomas' last day was Friday but declined to comment further.