October 08, 2015
Source/Philadelphia Police Department
Philadelphia police Sgt. Francis Rawls was taken into custody by U.S.marshals after failing to comply with a federal magistrate's order to turn over unencrypted hard drives seized as a result of an investigation and search warrant executed at his home.
A Philadelphia police sergeant has been suspended and will be dismissed after he was taken into custody for ignoring a federal magistrate's order.
Sgt. Francis Rawls, a 17-year veteran of the force who worked in the 16th District in West Philadelphia, had been ordered to turn over unencrypted files on his personal computer as a result of an investigation and search warrant executed at his home, police said. He failed to comply with that order and a Sept. 30 hearing found Rawls to be in contempt of the court’s order.
He was immediately taken into custody by U. S. Marshals, police said.
Internal Affairs investigators determined that Rawls' actions and conduct represented "conduct unbecoming."
Police Commissioner Charles H. Ramsey suspended Rawls for 30 days with the intent to dismiss on Tuesday.
The content of the files was not known.
