"This is another embarrassment for our department, another in a long list, unfortunately, that we've had to endure over the past few months," Ramsey said.
Alivera and Luciano are the 14th and 15th city police officers to be arrested since early last year. The most recent arrests include a cop who was charged with using a cheating device at Parx Casino, one who was charged with beating a woman with a hockey stick and another accused of stealing more than $800 from a bar.
In July, three cops - two from the 39th District, headquartered at 22nd and Hunting Park, and one from the 25th, at Whitaker and Erie - were charged by federal authorities for allegedly stealing heroin from a drug dealer and giving it to an undercover agent to resell on the street.
Alivera and Luciano also planned to have a drug dealer resell the 20 pounds of marijuana they stole, which was valued at $24,000, Williams said.
Ramsey said the cops would be fired.
He said their arrest and that of the 25th District officer in July are not immediately indicative of deeper problems at the 25th.
"I'm concerned about a systemic problem in this department, period, not just in the 25th District," he said. "You know, you wouldn't have to clean house if the house wasn't dirty to begin with."
Authorities were sketchy on the details of how Alivera and Luciano allegedly robbed the undercover officer. They said the cops initiated a traffic stop on the man in Kensington, robbed him of his money and drugs, handcuffed him and took him back to the 25th District, where they instead found themselves under arrest. The sting was videotaped for evidence, Williams said.
