Holocaust memorial, Budapest
Last year, Portland police Captain Mark Kruger got $5,000 and two disciplinary actions against him erased from his personal record. That was the settlement between Kruger and
the City of Portland, Oregon.
The steps are part of a negotiated settlement reached after Kruger, now in charge of the Drugs and Vice Division, filed a notice of his intent to sue the city in January 2013.
Kruger, through his attorney, argued that the city and the police bureau's Director of Services Mike Kuykendall slandered him in a series of text messages. Kuykendall repeatedly referred to Kruger as a Nazi in an exchange of texts with Lt. Kristy Galvan.
Well, that's not nice.
Why would they call him a Nazi?
For years, past police chiefs and city attorneys have vigorously fended off critics who called Portland police Capt. Mark Kruger a "Nazi sympathizer." They said he was simply a history buff who collected military memorabilia and had belonged to a World War II reenactment club.
But now, a Portland commander and a Portland Police Performance Review Board have found Kruger brought "discredit and disgrace upon the Bureau and the City," by building a public tribute to five Nazi-era German soldiers at a city park while employed by the police bureau.
[my emphasis]
Here's a copy of the settlement. In it you will find sweet deals like:
After this Agreement is signed by the parties and the seven-day waiting period has
passed, the City shall deliver a check payable to Employee and his attorneys, Sean
J. Riddell, in the amount of Five Thousand ($5,000).
a. 80 hours of vacation pay will be added to Employee's vacation bank.
b. The 2010 disciplinary letter will be removed from the PPB and BHR file.
c. The 2014 discipline will be removed from the PPB file. On February 21, 2015, the 2014 discipline will be removed from the BHR file if no similar issues arise.
And finally the best part. The Chief of Police will have to write a glowing review of
the Nazi Kruger.
d. Employee will receive a letter from the Chief of Police which states as follows:
I am writing to affirm that I consider you to be a competent and valuable member of the Portland Police Bureau. Your skills and talents as a Critical Incident Commander and ability to connect with the community are outstanding. In an incident last year, your decision making and sound judgment led to the safe rescue of a woman being held by a gunman. As well, your work with the immigrant community has strengthened our relationship with new Portlanders. On many occasions over your 20 years of employment, you have performed above expectations in your assignments.
The Bureau recognizes your integral role with the Portland Police Bureau and notes that you have completely fulfilled all of the conditions set forth in the 20 10 discipline letter. The City agrees to remove the 2010 discipline letter relating to conduct occurring sometime between 1999 and 2001 from your Police Bureau personnel file. This will give all parties the opportunity to move on from this past conduct.
I look forward to continuing to work with you in the future as we move ahead and continue to serve the community.
Have no doubts about how shitty a human being Kruger is.
Internal affairs found Kruger had taken the plaques down while he was facing federal lawsuits between 2002 and 2005 alleging excessive force during downtown anti-war protests. He gave them to the city attorney's office, which stashed them away for years and vigorously fought against producing them during discovery in the federal case. They weren't uncovered until a police internal affairs investigator found them in the city attorney's office about four years ago.
Here's a little more information on some of Kruger's Nazi history.
Kruger's commander at the time, Dave Famous, wrote that he was "deeply concerned" that the plaques purported to honor SS-Obersturmfuhrer Michael Wittman, a member of the Waffen SS, and Kdr. Harald von Hirschfeld who commanded a regiment that participated in the execution of thousands of prisoners of war on the Greek island of Cephalonia in 1943.
When people call law enforcement "Nazis" they are speaking of the fascistic worldview exhibited in our country by certain law enforcement agencies and individuals.
Look at these images.
Holocaust Memorial, Miami Beach, Florida
Holocaust Memorial Miami Beach, Florida
Holocaust Memorial - Miami Beach, FL
That's what the Nazis are. They are pain and fear. They are the heart of darkness. They are people like Portland police Captain Mark Kruger. He can try to make everyone forget what he represents and what he thinks and feels about the world around him, but there are more of us.
And we represent the light.