Ramsey apologizes to Williams over police incident
Philadelphia Police Commissioner Charles H. Ramsey said yesterday that he had issued an apology to a state representative in connection with allegations that the legislator was roughed up by police. Ramsey said that the department's Internal Affairs Division was investigating.
Philadelphia Police Commissioner Charles H. Ramsey said yesterday that he had issued an apology to a state representative in connection with allegations that the legislator was roughed up by police. Ramsey said that the department's Internal Affairs Division was investigating.
"It wasn't supposed to happen that way," Ramsey said of the March 28 incident, in which Rep. Jewell Williams, a former Temple University police officer, said he was handcuffed and thrown into the back of a patrol car after asking questions at a police car stop involving two other men.
The officers - Thomas Schaffling and Timothy Devlin - have each had seven similar complaints filed against them in previous instances since they were hired in 2002, according to Chief Inspector Anthony DiLacqua of Internal Affairs.
Williams, who was not charged, said yesterday he was reluctant to talk about the incident because he was supporting a civil-rights complaint being filed by the two men, who also were not charged.
"This is not a good thing, because people want to support police," he said of the incident. "They have a tough enough job as it is. . . . There are good officers. The public should not judge all officers by the actions of these two officers."
The incident, first reported by the Philadelphia Daily News, began in the early evening of March 28. Williams was driving in North Philadelphia when, he said, he saw officers stop a 2009 Volvo, which police said matched a description of a car used in a drug purchase. One of the officers had emptied the pockets of one of the men and placed the money he found on the car's hood. The cash began to blow away, and Schaffling handcuffed the man when he tried to corral it.
Williams said he identified himself and asked the officers if he could assist. Devlin ordered him back into his car, Williams said, and minutes later, handcuffed him and threw him into the back of the cruiser. He said he had to lie sideways because he couldn't fit his feet under the seats.
A police spokesman, Lt. Frank Vanore, said that the two officers had been put on desk duty in August after similar complaints, and had later been cleared to go back to street duty. A spokesman for Internal Affairs said the cases were still open.
The incidents included an outdoor baby shower Aug. 9 in North Philadelphia in which one or both of the officers allegedly clashed with guests.
On Aug. 24, the same officers allegedly pulled over two men in West Philadelphia who said they were on their way to church. The men said one of the officers pointed a gun at the driver and threatened to shoot him.
