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Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Did father's 'best friend' have to die?
William Panas Sr. weeps at a makeshift shrine for his son, William, near where an off-duty officer fatally shot the 21-year-old in Port Richmond.

Philadelphians have long looked to the Police Department's Civil Affairs officers to defuse unruly confrontations like the street brawl Saturday night in Port Richmond. But that night, an off-duty Civil Affairs cop shot and killed an unarmed 21-year-old.

So how did Civil Affairs Sgt. Frank Tepper - who fired the round that killed aspiring barber William "Billy" Panas Jr. - lose his touch as a peacemaker?

That's a question Police Commissioner Charles H. Ramsey and the District Attorney's Office need to answer quickly. If the inquiry drags on into January, it will be the first major test for freshman District Attorney Seth Williams - who takes over an office that, under Lynne M. Abraham, often was slow to prosecute cops for wrongdoing.

This isn't a case where the usual one to two years should be allowed to lapse before citizens are given a full explanation why an officer resorted to deadly force.

There are just too many troubling questions about the events leading up to Panas' shooting during the 11 p.m. incident outside Tepper's own home on Elkhart Street near Edgemont.

If witness accounts are accurate, Tepper, 43, appeared drunk as he tried to break up the fight involving his relatives, including his own son.

Witnesses allege Tepper fired a gun after chasing the victim and exchanging words with him. Panas was quoted as pleading, "Come on, you're not going to shoot me." To which the officer was said to respond, "Oh, yeah?"

The official version of events is that Tepper was assaulted by several brawlers, prompting him to fire in self-defense. Clearly, that account must be tested by a thorough review of the events.

For one thing, police and prosecutors need to investigate how the incident jibes with neighbors' reports of erratic behavior at other times from the 16-year veteran.

Tepper was said to have brandished his police service weapon, fired into the air, maced neighborhood teens, and even shot at a rodent on the sidewalk.opossum

Had those problems come to the attention of the Police Department? And, if so, why wasn't disciplinary action - if warranted - taken earlier?

At the very least, Tepper may well have erred by wading into a brawl that involved his family. Long-standing department policy says officers should not "take action" in such disputes unless it's necessary to "prevent bodily injury or death." As described, this confrontation involved no one with a weapon - with the exception of the sergeant himself.

The Port Richmond incident is the fourth recent case in which city police officers allegedly have abused their authority, often to settle personal scores. That calls out for a broader look by Ramsey at reinforcing policies designed to prevent officers from misusing their badges.

Only a full accounting will do.

Posted by Inquirer Editorial Board @ 3:35 AM  Permalink | 8 comments
Comments   
Posted 07:41 AM, 11/25/2009
concernedandsteamed
I happen to live in the neighborhood and know full well that the youths around here are not all that "innocent"..I have also known the officer in question for almost 3 decades and I know that he is a decent human being. Everyone involved in this is in some way affected..But to crucify someone before they have had a fair hearing is not the right thing to do either..This officer has family too
Posted 07:44 AM, 11/25/2009
PurpleHaze70
Why didn't the PPD test Tepper for alcohol after he was picked up? If the investigation was botched so that no charges can be filed against the perp cop, then conspiracy charges need to be added.
Posted 08:47 AM, 11/25/2009
ej610
This is a typical case of how desensitized we've become to guns and violence. It's highly inappropriate to use a gun and kill someone for a street brawl. If he should have done anything, Tepper should have shot the gun in the air to break up the fight.
Posted 12:33 PM, 11/25/2009
logit47
I agree concernedandsteamed. I moved out of Port Richmond and it was mostly because of the kids. The majority of the kids that hang out on the street have no respect for anyone or anyones property. I an not condoning the cops actions...but the kids in that neighborhood are an issue...
Posted 07:00 PM, 11/25/2009
janann
The Police Union is like any other union and the protect their own at all costs. It has been Politcally Correct for Management to look the other way rather than confront a problem that exists. Like it or not, the man has alot og baggage, and there has to be a reason why he has been assigned to Civil Affairs Department. I will be glad when Lynn abraham is gone, because if anyting has been PC, it is the praise she seems to get for ajob not well done. Both she and Ramsey seem to be teflon coated,,,, while crime in our streets just grows and grows.... When Street was Mayor and Sylvester Johnson was Police Chief, they couldn't do anything right --- Then all of a sudden Nutter is a golden boy who picks the "asleep at the wheel" police Chief during the DC Sniper incident, and everything is peachy keen.
Posted 10:24 PM, 11/25/2009
Ben9
Saying the kids "are not all that 'innocent'" as a justification for a cop with a history shooting an apparent peacemaker in the chest is obscene. There are far too many who slavishly worship the police, and we're increasingly sandwiched between the common criminals and the cops. I hate to say it, but it's time to get armed and protect ourselves instead of relying on the "authorities" who can't protect us and are sometimes part of the threat. Does that p.o. you officers and your staunch supporters? Then DEMAND ACCOUNTABILITY to restore respect for your badge. You know who the rotten ones are; stop defending them.
Posted 09:05 AM, 11/27/2009
zen
Purplehaze70 - your analysis is so right-on-the-money. Good thinking and we'll never get them close to treating their own like they treat the very citizens who pay their salaries - DUI?....just drop the off-duty at home to sleep it off. Off-duty shooting?....take a long long long time to concoct some far-reaching story to justify the shooting and clear the off-duty who, by the way....will receive pay and benefits the entire time the "investigation" is going on.
Posted 01:22 AM, 12/04/2009
streetjustice
Why does a trained police officer need to shot and kill and unarmed person was he that afraid for his life that he had to shot an unarmed person. Tepper did not use justifiable force.
8 comments
About The Inquirer Editorial Board
Harold Jackson, a winner of the 1991 Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Writing, grew up in Birmingham, Ala., during the civil rights movement. He graduated from Baker University in Baldwin, Kan., in 1975, with a degree in journalism/political science. He has also worked at the Birmingham Post-Herald, United Press International, the Birmingham News, and the Baltimore Sun. He was at The Inquirer in the mid-1980s, returned in 1999, and became editorial page editor in 2007.

Paul Davies is the deputy editor of the Editorial Page. His newspaper career has spanned more than 20 years and includes stints at The Wall Street Journal and the Philadelphia Daily News. He graduated from the University of Delaware and received a masters in journalism from Columbia University, where he was also a Knight-Bagehot Fellow. He was born in Philadelphia and still lives in the city.

Tony Auth began drawing while bedridden for a year and a half at the age of five. He graduated from UCLA in 1965 and worked for six years as a medical illustrator while doing three cartoons a week for various college newspapers. Tony has been happily ensconced as The Inquirer’s editorial cartoonist since 1971. He won a Pulitzer Prize in 1976, and has won numerous other awards, including five Overseas Press Club Awards, the Sigma Delta Chi award for distinguished service in Journalism, and the Herblock and Thomas Nast Prizes. Tony is married to Eliza Drake Auth, a painter of realistic landscapes and portraits.

Trudy Rubin is the foreign affairs columnist for The Philadelphia Inquirer, and a member of The Inquirer’s editorial board. Her column appears twice weekly in The Inquirer and runs regularly in many other newspapers around the United States. She is the author of Willful Blindness: The Bush Administration and Iraq.

Kevin Ferris is an assistant editor on the Editorial Board who oversees the Sunday Currents section and writes a weekly column on a wide range of issues. In his 15 years on the board, he’s handled letters to the editor and the Community Voices pages and has been Commentary Page editor. He started with The Inquirer in 1986, and his assignments have ranged from the copy and news desks to the Chester County bureau and the national/foreign desk.

As an editorial writer for The Inquirer for the past two decades, Russell Cooke has written on a wide range of topics covering government, legal, civic and social issues. Before joining the Editorial Board, he was a reporter in the Inquirer’s City Hall bureau.

Editorial writer Dave Boyer joined The Inquirer in 2002. He writes about politics, government, the economy, sports and many other subjects, but draws the line at writing about "Jon & Kate Plus Eight." He has won journalism awards and insists bribery was not involved. A native of Allentown, Boyer graduated from Penn State. He and his wife reside in Center City, where they enjoy strolling and paying the wage tax.

Melanie Burney joined the editorial board in January 2008 after covering education at the Inquirer for eight years. She previously worked at the Associated Press in Philadelphia and southern New Jersey. She is a graduate of Glassboro State College, now Rowan University, and a member of the National Association of Black Journalists.

Josh Gohlke has been The Inquirer’s op-ed editor since last year, editing the daily commentary page and writing occasional editorials. He came to the Inquirer after eight years at The Record of Bergen County, N.J., first as a reporter covering local and state politics and government and ultimately as the deputy editorial page editor. He also worked as a reporter for several smaller papers in New Jersey and California. Josh was born and raised in Los Angeles and graduated from Stanford University. He lives in Philadelphia.

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