UPDATED: 8 p.m.
And during weekend standoffs at the statue, Campione, a 43-year veteran of the force, was captured on video warning a would-be journalist to leave, as he was “inciting a riot,” the captain said.
On Monday, Campione was reassigned from commander of the 1st District in South Philadelphia to the Standards and Accountability Division.
The Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 5 said the shift was due to the “volatile and chaotic situation,” though a spokesperson for the police department said the reassignment is not related to any specific event.
"He’s done more for this area than anyone we know. Lou’s definitely one of the best captains in the Philadelphia Police Department right now, so we’re really upset about the way things went down,” said Charles, who came to show support for Campion.
Promotional material for Tuesday’s rally said demonstrators “are not in favor of ‘defunding’ the police. We want to defend the good police! Rain or shine.” They say Campione is the epitome of “community policing.”
FOP President John McNesby issued a statement on Campione’s reassignment: “The Mayor and Police leadership are more concerned with appeasing the anarchist mobs descending upon our city and are less concerned about our citizens, our neighborhoods and the overall public safety of our great city.”
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