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Officer Patrick Gallagher, a two-year veteran, bashed one of the shooting suspects in the head with anunknown object, while Officer Patrick Whalen, just one month out of the Police Academy, pummeled two suspects, police said.
And Officer Robert Donnelly, also fresh out of the academy, was said to be arguably the worst violator of department policy: With a gun in his hand, Donnelly allegedly yanked one suspect from the car and struck and repeatedly kicked him. Then he pressed his foot on a suspect's head and later shoved one man's neck into a squad car before placing him inside, said Police Commissioner Charles H. Ramsey.
Yesterday, Ramsey fired these four officers - all from the 35th Police District - and disciplined four others, including demoting a sergeant, for their role in a May 5 police encounter filmed by a news helicopter and seen around the world.
"All of us as law-enforcement professionals have to understand that, unlike criminals on the street, we have rules that we have to abide by," Ramsey said. "We have an obligation to do things the right way. We have a legal authority to use force to take people into custody, but only that force necessary to effect the arrest. If it gets beyond that, then we've got an issue, we've got a problem and we have to take some action."
In this case, the new commissioner's action - met with both praise and protest - was relatively swift, particularly from a Police Department with a history of drawn-out internal investigations into alleged police misconduct.
Ramsey punished the eight officers just two weeks after the dramatic footage first aired locally on Fox 29 News. Internal Affairs investigators identified 19 officers - including one SEPTA cop seen with a K-9 dog - who arrived on the scene of the car-stop on 2nd Street near Erie Avenue in North Philadelphia.
The video shows officers rushing a gold Mercury Grand Marquis and pulling out the three suspects: Brian Hall, 23; Dwayne "Lionel" Dyches, 24; and Pete Hopkins, 19. The officers then kick, punch and stomp on the three men, whom police say fled a shooting at 4th and Annsbury streets.
Of the 19 officers identified on the video, Ramsey said that seven used excessive force, while a police sergeant failed to intervene.
Ramsey demoted Sgt. Joseph Schiavone, a 15-year veteran from the 35th District, Broad Street and Champlost Avenue, to the rank of officer. Three other officers were suspended ranging from five to 15 days: Sean Bascom, Narcotics Strike Force; Demetrios Pittaoulis, 35th District; and Jonathon Czapor, 25th District, Whitaker Street near Erie Avenue.
In an unprecedented public flogging of sorts, Ramsey named each officer and detailed their involvement in the beating during an afternoon news conference at Police Headquarters. A stern-faced Mayor Nutter joined him at the podium.
"Today's announcement represents, I believe, what is required in this matter - swift, direct action," Nutter said. "I think this represents a new day in the Philadelphia Police Department and how we deal with these kinds of situations."
Ramsey said he was worried about the morale of his officers and stressed that the discipline against the eight officers was "not a reflection" on the rank and file. "We've got people who get out there every single day and they do an absolutely tremendous job," Ramsey said.
The move was widely praised - and widely criticized.
"It's an unprecedented, gutsy move by Ramsey, and clearly it had to be approved by the Nutter administration, so they deserve a lot of the credit, too," said J. Whyatt Mondesire, president of the Philadelphia branch of the NAACP.
Mondesire marveled at the speed of Ramsey's decision. He pointed out that in similar situations, past police commissioners generally postponed Internal Affairs investigations until after the District Attorney's Office completed its probe and determined whether to prosecute the officers.
The officers could still face criminal charges. City prosecutors are investigating; federal authorities say they're monitoring the district attorney's probe.
"We will do a fair and thorough investigation," Cathie Abookire, spokeswoman for District Attorney Lynne Abraham, said yesterday. There is no time frame for completion, she added.
Ramsey said the city also has hired an outside agency, the Police Executive Research Forum in Washington, D.C., to evaluate the department's use of force policy and officer training under a four-month, $77,000 contract.
John J. McNesby, president of Lodge 5 of the Fraternal Order of Police, accused Ramsey of rushing to judgment.
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