State eyes racist letter to commish nominee

HARRISBURG

- Authorities are investigating a racist note apparently hand-delivered to the home mailbox of Gov. Wolf's nominee for Pennsylvania State Police commissioner, a state police spokeswoman said yesterday.

The handwritten, unsigned note saying "No [racial epithet] lover will wear my uniform" arrived in Col. Marcus Brown's suburban Harrisburg mailbox on Monday night amid an increasingly ugly battle over Brown's nomination, which must be confirmed by the Senate. Brown, currently the acting commissioner, gave the note to local police, state police spokeswoman Maria Finn said.

The note was signed "didnt-dont," an apparent reference to criticism by retired state police troopers of Brown's decision to wear the state police uniform despite not having graduated from the State Police Academy, as every trooper must.

Brown said in a statement that the note does not reflect the character of police officers or members of the Pennsylvania State Police he has met.

"I have worked in law enforcement for nearly 25 years and there is no doubt in my mind that every one of my colleagues would find this letter as disgusting and disturbing as I do," Brown wrote.

Brown, a former Baltimore police officer and superintendent of the Maryland State Police, has touted his commitment to recruiting minorities into the police force. He has also drawn criticism from retired state troopers after his suggestion last September following turmoil in Ferguson, Mo., over the fatal shooting of an unarmed black man that the militarization of police escalates civil disobedience.