Portland’s police chief announced Tuesday that he suspended Captain Mark Kruger for erecting a memorial to Nazi-era German soldiers. He put a plaque up in a public park eleven years ago.
Kruger’s suspension is two weeks without pay. He will also have to participate in a tolerance training program and a mentorship arrangement.
In 1999 Kruger fastened a plaque to a tree on Rocky Butte in Portland.
It bore the names of five German military officers from World War II. Kruger was a Portland police officer at the time but was off-duty when he hung the plaque.
Chief Michael Reese said that the Police Bureau had an opportunity to investigate Kruger’s actions in early 2004, but didn’t.
Kruger says in a letter of apology that he hung the plaque out of his interest in military history. He says he was unaware that any of the officers named on the plaque may have been involved in war crimes.
One of the names on the plaque has the letters “SS” in front of it, referring to the Nazi party’s police force.
