Phila. officer, once fired, set for promotion

Sgt. Nashid Akil, who was temporarily fired from the Philadelphia Police Department more than a decade ago for allegedly stealing money from a man during a vehicle stop, is scheduled to be promoted to lieutenant next week, according to three sources familiar with the decision.

Akil, hired in 2000, lost his job in 2003 after Internal Affairs determined he had stolen "several hundred dollars" and failed to submit the cash as evidence, according to an audit released in 2004 by the city's Integrity and Accountability Office.

Akil was reinstated in November 2005, according to city payroll records. The Police Department declined to say how or why he returned to the force.

Before his firing, Akil also racked up at least two suspensions, according to the audit: once for allegedly physically and verbally abusing a handicapped man before illegally arresting him, and another for allegedly taking money from a detainee in a district cell block in return for letting that person use a cellphone.

John McNesby, president of Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 5, said those allegations were not only old, they were irrelevant, given Akil's reinstatement and his subsequent promotion to sergeant.

"If somebody's cleared of something and promoted, they're cleared," he said.

Attempts to reach Akil, 36, who works in West Philadelphia's 16th District, were unsuccessful.

Lt. John Stanford, police spokesman, declined to comment on Akil's status, saying promotions are not considered final until officers are sworn in to new roles, which is scheduled to take place March 18.

Stanford also declined to provide details about Akil's employment or disciplinary history, saying such information is only available through a formal Right-to-Know request.

Police promotions are largely determined by how an officer scores on the department's civil service exams, although officers can be passed over for wrongdoing even with a high score.

Stanford said a variety of other factors can be used to determine whether an officer is fit for promotion, but declined to get into specifics.

"Each individual case is taken on a case-by-case basis," he said.

Two sources said Akil had previously been passed over for a promotion to lieutenant. On this test, he was the 17th-highest scorer, and the department is adding 26 lieutenants, sources said.

It is not unusual for fired Philadelphia officers to get their jobs back through arbitration. Kelvyn Anderson, executive director of the Police Advisory Commission, said his agency found that from 2008 to 2013, the FOP challenged the firings of 26 officers, and the officers won their jobs back 19 times.

Some reinstated officers have also climbed the ladder upon returning to the force.

Sgt. Michael Spicer, part of the narcotics squad whose members were acquitted of federal corruption charges last year, was promoted in November after winning his job back through arbitration.

Lt. Jonathan Josey, however, was not as fortunate. Rehired in 2013 after being acquitted of charges that he punched a woman at the 2012 Puerto Rican Day Parade, Josey learned this month that he had been passed over for a promotion to captain - even though he was second in line.

McNesby said this month that he would fight for Josey's promotion, but declined to detail how he would do so.

Beyond Akil's early-career disciplinary woes, he has been investigated by Internal Affairs for at least 10 citizen complaints over his 13 years on the force, according to records provided by Internal Affairs and the Police Advisory Commission.

Nearly all of those investigations have exonerated Akil, according to the Police Advisory Commission, which maintains a database of old files.

Most of Akil's Internal Affairs files could not be independently reviewed; only citizen complaints that have been closed within the past five years are available publicly, the Police Department said.

Anderson, of the Police Advisory Commission, said the number of complaints filed against Akil "isn't a huge number" over the course of 13 years.

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