Philadelphia Officials Respond To Investigation After Police Detective Allegedly Attended Trump Rally That Preceded Capitol Riot
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- A Philadelphia police detective is under investigation after she allegedly attended the Trump rally that preceded the riots at the U.S. Capitol last week. The police Internal Affairs division is currently investigating whether any police department policies were violated or if the detective was involved in any illegal activities at the event.
Philadelphia police have not released the female officer's name but she has been removed from her position after Internal Affairs reportedly received social media posts regarding her presence at the event.
However, the tip did not include whether or not she had been inside the Capitol or participated in the violence.
"There's not much to say. I mean, she went somewhere on her day off. Whether you like it or not, whether you agree with her or not, she went to Washington. I don't know what happened when she was there," Fraternal Order of Police President John McNesby said.
McNesby says the officer was in Washington, D.C. on her day off and says he knows nothing more about her whereabouts while she was there.
"You have a right to do what you need to do on your day off as long as it's within the guidelines of the police department and you're not acting like an idiot out there. So if she wasn't doing any of that, she'll be fine," McNesby said.
The City of Philadelphia does have detailed policies governing the political activity of its employees, including police officers. As long as they are not on-duty, in uniform, on city property, using city resources or their city title, police officers may attend political fundraisers or rallies as spectators.
They may also talk about their personal political opinions, including on social media. They cannot, however, hold any role in support of a political candidate, party, campaign or partisan political group.
Mayor Jim Kenney responded to the investigation into this police detective.
"Well I mean there's an Internal Affairs investigation going on now. We don't know the extent to the individual's involvement. We understand the person was there, which is not in itself a violation of anything, it's a First Amendment right, but whether or not the person participated in any illegal activity remains to be seen," Kenney said.
The Philadelphia Police Department says it has not gotten any other reports or other officers who may have been at the event in Washington.
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