Mayor Jim Kenney joined a growing number of people disturbed by an image on social media of a Philadelphia bike cop with a possible Nazi symbol tattooed on his left arm.
The image of the officer, who is identified by his uniform name tag as Lichtermann, began circulating on social media after a Philadelphia woman posted it to her Twitter account.
According to city payroll records, the police department employs an officer named Ian Lichterman. It is unclear why his name is spelled differently on the name tag. A message left for Lichterman on his cell phone was not immediately returned.
The police department said in a statement Thursday afternoon that its Internal Affairs Unit would review Lichterman's tattoos. The department did, however, say there is no policy regulating tattoos.
"Currently, the department does not have a specific policy regarding the wearing /displaying of tattoos; however, the department will quickly move to assess and determine the appropriate policy moving forward."
Here is Kenney's full statement:
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“The imagery on display in the tweet is disturbing. I find it incredibly offensive, and I know many others do as well. This image is particularly offensive to our WWII veterans who fought valiantly to free Europe from Nazi Germany, as well as all victims of Nazi atrocities. I understand that the PPD will launch an internal investigation, and that should run its course. In this environment -- in which open, honest dialogue between citizens and police is paramount – we need to be building trust, not offering messages or displaying images that destroy trust.”
