After months of internal investigation, Philadelphia’s police department determined that a cop with an arm tattoo featuring Nazi-associated imagery hadn’t violated any official policy.
The controversy began last September, when social media users noticed the controversial tattoo in a photo of police officer Ian Lichterman, taken during the Democratic National Convention as he worked the bike patrol. On his left arm, Lichterman has a tattoo of the word “Fatherland,” along with a spread-winged eagle.
Investigators closed the case this week, finding no wrongdoing because the Philadelphia Police Department has no policy about its officers’ tattoos.
In a statement, Philadelphia mayor Jim Kenney slammed the police department’s decision, saying he was “deeply offended by the tattoo” and calling it “completely inappropriate.”
“Since the investigation determined that the police officer couldn’t be dismissed because [the Philadelphia Police Department] does not have a policy against tattoos, we will draft such a policy so this cannot happen again,” Kenney said.
But such reforms may be tough to implement. Philadelphia’s City Council cannot unilaterally pass rules governing officers’ tattoos. According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, tattoo policies are subject to collective bargaining, and elsewhere in Pennsylvania, they’ve become a point of contention between the union and local and state officials.
Officer Lichterman began his career with the Philadelphia Police Department in 2000, and he currently earns about $72,000, the Inquirer reported.
