Judge, Police Feud Over Memorial

PHILADELPHIA - There were fireworks Tuesday over a tribute to slain Philadelphia police Officer John Pawlowski inside his home police district.

A judge requested the removal of a memorial photo of the fallen officer from a roll-call room-turned-courtroom inside the 35th Police District.

Witnesses said that, when the judge's request was denied by ranking police officials, the judge took the memorial photo down anyway.

To say this chain of events set off a major controversy would be putting it mildly, Fox 29's Dave Schratwieser reported.

Emotions were running high Tuesday morning at the 35th District. Pawlowski's fellow officers were incensed, their union president wants a full blown investigation and police are threatening to take away the judge's parking space in their police lot after things boiled over at the district headquarters.

"This is the room where Officer Pawlowski stood for roll call every day, every tour of duty," 35th District Officer Elisa Diaz said. "… This is what we have left. This is all we have left."

Officers said Municipal Court Judge Craig M. Washington was two hours into his court calendar Tuesday when he told a court officer to remove the photo from the edge of his bench, claiming he couldn't be impartial with the slain officer's picture there.

"I was not gonna take the picture down. It's insulting to me to take the picture down," Diaz said.

Officer Blanca Rodriguez refused to remove the photo. The judge went to Capt. John McCloskey and made the same demand. McCloskey also refused.

Washington took his request to the district inspector, who wasn't buying it either. So the judge took action.

"He came down here and took the picture and put it upside down. It was very upsetting to the officers here," McCloskey said.

"For him to come in here and just take his picture down is just a disrespect not only to his family but to us because he's a part of our family," Diaz said.

A union official arrived to confront Washington. The judge left, and the union rep tore down a parking lot sign reserving a spot for the judge in the police lot.

Washington did not return calls from Fox 29 News for comment.

The Fraternal Order of Police, on the other hand, soon put out a statement calling the judge's request "a ridiculous demand" and saying he "brazenly" overturned two of the officer's pictures.

The police union called for a complete investigation and an end to court hearings in the squad room.

"Not only are we having a direct threat from the repeat violent offenders who are out on the street. We're having a direct threat from the bench," Fraternal Order of Police President John McNesby said.

"He wasn't even buried yet, and here you want us to take a picture down," Rodriguez said. "You're gonna forget him that quick? It doesn't happen that quick with us."

McNesby wants the judge removed from the bench pending an investigation. He said that, if judges who use these police facilities don't want pictures of slain officers in their roll-call rooms-turned-courtrooms, they should leave and hold hearings elsewhere.

The picture and flowers were back up by Tuesday afternoon, Scratwieser reported.

Late Tuesday afternoon, Municipal Court President Judge Marsha Neifield issued the following statement:

"All of us are deeply saddened about the tragic loss of Officer Pawlowski. Our thoughts and prayers are foremost with Officer Pawlowski's family, friends and his police colleagues. We understand why emotions are running high.

"The 35th District police headquarters serves as an official courtroom for preliminary hearings three days a week. Although the hearings are held at the police station, they must be treated like hearings held in any other official courtroom in the City of Philadelphia. As such, photographs are not permitted directly on the bench when Court is in session. While photographs placed in other locations are permitted, the Courtroom must avoid any appearance of bias."