Seven SEPTA Police Officers Under Internal Investigation After Attending Pro-Trump Rally In DC
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Seven members of the SEPTA Police are under investigation after they attended last week's pro-Trump rally in Washington, D.C. Now leaders are trying to determine whether they participated in the attack on the Capitol.
According to a spokesperson with SEPTA media relations, the transit agency received a tip that one employee attended the Jan. 6 rally.
The investigation revealed the participation of additional SEPTA police officers -- seven in total -- who were in D.C. that day.
"They are being investigated to see if they were involved in riotous behavior or for violations of our social media policies," said SEPTA Police Chief Thomas Nestel.
The agency is looking to determine the full extent of the seven officers' participation, including if they actually entered the U.S. Capitol or simply participated in the rally.
This latest investigation comes days after Philadelphia police opened their own internal affairs case into one of their officers.
We're told by public affairs a female detective is under investigation after she allegedly attended the Trump rally that preceded the riots at the U.S. Capitol.
As in the SEPTA police case, it's unclear whether the Philadelphia detective entered the Capitol building, or whether any agency policies were violated.
A Philadelphia police spokesperson confirms the detective has been placed on restrictive duty, which includes turning in their department-issued firearm pending the outcome of the investigation.
In the SEPTA police case, a spokesperson says the results of the investigation, when finalized, will be shared with the FBI.
In a statement, Troy Parham, the vice president of the Fraternal Order of Transit Police, gave some additional details about the seven officers being investigated.
"Five members of the Fraternal Order of Transit Police — which represents SEPTA police officers — and two supervisors, not represented by the FOTP, known to have attended the rally on Capitol Hill on Jan. 6 in support of President Donald Trump's allegations of fraud within the 2020 election, are currently being investigated by SEPTA's Internal Affairs Division to determine if they were involved in any illegal activity on that day," Parham writes.
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