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State Police nominee faces new controversy

HARRISBURG - Gov. Wolf's nominee to head the Pennsylvania State Police has stepped into yet another controversy. Acting State Police Chief Marcus Brown was captured on video removing signs that criticized him from the side of a public roadway.

Marcus Brown. (MONICA LOPOSSAY / Baltimore Sun)
Marcus Brown. (MONICA LOPOSSAY / Baltimore Sun)Read more

HARRISBURG - Gov. Wolf's nominee to head the Pennsylvania State Police has stepped into yet another controversy.

Acting State Police Chief Marcus Brown was captured on video removing signs that criticized him from the side of a public roadway.

Brown has faced scrutiny in recent weeks for choosing to wear the Pennsylvania State Police uniform despite not having attended the state's Police Academy. The two signs were critical of that decision, reading, "Marcus Brown didn't earn it!" and "Marcus Brown don't wear it!"

The signs were placed along a roadway in Hampden Township, a suburb of Harrisburg, Hampden Police Chief Steven Junkin said. Brown was caught on video taking down the signs Wednesday morning and placing them in his car, Junkin said. He added that the matter was under investigation and that no conclusions had been reached.

Brown released a statement late Thursday evening in which he said he considered it an honor to lead the state police and acknowledged that he had "made a mistake and an error in judgment" in removing the signs. He said he was reacting to an invasion of his family's privacy.

Junkin said he had not yet spoken to Brown. He said state police had turned the signs over to his department. He would not be more specific.

A person caught tampering with signs along public roadways could be charged with theft by unlawful taking or disposition, a misdemeanor, Junkin said.

The incident involving the signs, first reported by Harrisburg-area television station ABC27, is bound to add to a growing list of questions Brown faces as he heads into his confirmation hearing this spring.

Aside from his decision to wear the uniform, Brown also has come under fire for a pension he collected from one of his previous law enforcement jobs as well as a tax break he received on one of his homes while heading the state police in Maryland.

In nominating Brown, Wolf, a Democrat, has cited his lengthy career in law enforcement as well as his commitment to diversity.

A spokesman for Wolf could not be reached for comment Thursday.

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