Ramsey issues letter to all city police

Philadelphia Police Commissioner Charles H. Ramsey issued a letter to all police personnel after the arrest of Inspector Daniel Castro on Friday.

Here it is in its entirety:

On Thursday, November 4, 2010, a federal grand jury returned a multi-count indictment against a member of the Philadelphia Police Department, former Inspector Daniel Castro. Today, November 5, 2010, the FBI arrested Castro after a six-month internal investigation involving our federal partners. He is charged with an eight-count indictment, including extortion and lying to a federal officer.

The U.S. Attorney held a press conference this morning in which they read portions of the indictment and announced Castro's arrest. His arrest comes at a time when the Philadelphia Police Department has already faced a number of corruption cases where other members of the Department have been arrested or fired for misconduct. Though we have 6,600 sworn personnel, and these individuals comprise only a minority - the few affect the many.

Our credibility as a police department has been shaken due to these recent incidents. Today's arrest of a former high-ranking commander of the Department further tarnishes our reputation. Too many members of our Department have strayed from ethical decision-making, and as a result, it has eroded the public trust. There is no higher priority for every single member of this Department, sworn and civilian, than ensuring that we police ourselves. We cannot afford to have our legitimacy as a good police department slip away at the hands of a few, who leave a black eye on all of us who remain.

Former Inspector Castro is an example that no one, irrespective of rank, is above the law. His arrest is another example of our continuing efforts to root out corruption in the Department. We have increased the number of personnel in our Internal Affairs Bureau and have recently established an improved educational curriculum around ethics and decision-making.  We will continue to aggressively pursue those who tarnish the badge. At the same time, we must affirm what we are doing well, and commend the vast majority of all of you who come to work every day doing the right thing for the right reason.

We must work toward a common goal in this Department, where we live and act by our values: Honor, Service and Integrity. This is a Department-wide effort. We need every single person here to step up and say something when they know about those who are abusing their position. Finally, we also have the responsibility to be generous; thank your colleagues and those under your chain of command for a job well done. Respect the values we live by, make them a part of who you are, and reflect them in your actions. This is how we will restore our reputation. Our future depends on it.

Charles H. Ramsey
Police Commissioner