Cops in beating get jobs back, free FOP beer; Suspects were cleared, too

Two years ago, eight Philadelphia police officers drew national scrutiny when a news helicopter caught them kicking and beating three murder suspects.

Tonight, their comrades will toast them with free beer and munchies. The officers will be the guests of honor at a bash hosted by the Fraternal Order of Police celebrating their reinstatement.

"Our Guys Are BACK!" proclaims an FOP flyer inviting officers to the free happy-hour party at the FOP office, on Spring Garden Street near Broad.

Police Commissioner Charles H. Ramsey fired Officers Patrick Gallagher, Vincent Strain, Patrick Whalen and Robert Donnelly, demoted Sgt. Joseph Schiavone and suspended Officers Jonathan Czapor, Demetrios Pittaoulis and Sean Bascom after a Fox 29 aerial news crew filmed them arresting Pete Hopkins, Dwayne Dyches and Brian Hall at 2nd and Pike streets after a long chase.

The video showed numerous cops kicking and punching the suspects while they were on the ground.

But a grand jury cleared the officers of criminal wrongdoing. A separate jury acquitted Hopkins, Dyches and Hall, who had been suspects in a North Philadelphia triple shooting.

Last week, an arbitrator ruled that the two- most-veteran fired officers should get their jobs back and that the suspended and demoted officers' punishment had been too harsh. The arbitrator didn't address the two rookie officers who'd been fired, but FOP President John McNesby said yesterday that they had been reinstated, too.

Critics called tonight's planned celebration distasteful.

"This is a sad commentary; it's almost like they're rubbing the arbitrator's decision in the face of the police commissioner," Philadelphia NAACP President Jerry Mondesire said yesterday. "The NAACP fully stands behind the police commissioner's decision. It's regrettable that they want to celebrate errant behavior by police."

McNesby countered that the FOP hosts happy hours for officers every Friday and routinely welcomes back reinstated officers.

"These cops were cleared in every form," McNesby said. "Now they're coming back to work, as they should be, so we're going to welcome them back. Jerry Mondesire needs to pull out the want ads and go find something to do."