Philadelphia Mayor Kenney condemned a photo of a Philadelphia police officer with what some believe is a Nazi-style tattoo on his arm, saying the tattoo was “incredibly offensive” and not the sort of message police should be giving the community.
The Police Department also said its Internal Affairs unit would review the photo, which began circulating on social media Wednesday night. It showed a bike-patrol officer with a tattoo on his left forearm of an apparent spread-winged eagle resembling a symbol and above it the tattooed word Fatherland in Gothic letters.
“The imagery on display in the tweet is disturbing,” Kenney said in a statement, adding: “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.”