By Jonathan J. Cooper
Associated Press
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) -- A senior Portland police official was suspended Tuesday for posting a plaque 11 years ago in a city park to honor German soldiers in World War II.
Portland Police Capt. Mark Kruger said in a public apology that he attached the plaque to a tree as part of his decades-old study of European history. He denied having sympathy for the followers of Adolf Hitler and called Nazi conduct "abhorrent" and "repulsive."
"I ask that community members focus on my life's work and not on a poor decision made years ago," he wrote.
Kruger has waived his right to appeal his discipline. He was ordered to take two weeks of unpaid leave, undergo tolerance training and participate in an unspecified mentor relationship for up to two years.
The officer has spent years dodging allegations by an old friend that he's a Nazi sympathizer, but police officials say there is no record of a formal or detailed investigation until now. The probe was prompted when the friend, Robert Seaver, filed a complaint about the plaque in October 2009.
His plaque honored five German soldiers, including Michael Wittman, who was a member of the Waffen-SS, an elite Nazi party military unit that served as a special security force that was involved in war crimes.
Kruger was off-duty in 1999 when he and Seaver posted the plaque in a forested city park -- a violation of a city ordinance. The hillside tree was chosen in part because Kruger could be see it while driving below on an Interstate highway. He called it "Ehrenbaum," or "honor tree."
The officer returned at least once to clean the plaque and ensure it was attached securely, police documents show. Kruger removed the plaque in 2003 or 2004 when its existence came up in a federal lawsuit alleging the officer violated civil rights by detaining a demonstrator at a Portland protest.
Police Chief Michael Reese sad in a letter of reprimand that the incident and the negative publicity it has generated have raised legitimate questions about Kruger's ability to be effective in his job.
He said administrators considered firing or demoting Kruger, but decided against such severe punishment, in part because the incident occurred so long ago.
The 16-year veteran cop had never been disciplined. He was promoted to captain, a fourth-from-the-top command post, in 2008.
In his apology, Kruger wrote that he saw brief combat in the U.S. military and has long studied how soldiers respond to the ordeal of battle.
"I believe military history has much to teach us about bravery, leadership, self-initiative, ingenuity, endurance and the virtue of sacrifice," he wrote. He also apologized to his fellow officers for embarrassing the Portland police force.
Kruger is the latest person to face a public rebuke for appearing to support Nazis. In October, Ohio congressional candidate Rich Iott came under fire for wearing a Nazi uniform while participating in World War II re-enactments.
Published: Thu, Nov 18, 2010
