Philadelphia Daily News from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania • Page 4

Thursday, March 20. 1986 PHILADELPHIA DAILY NEWS Page 5 Klein, the prosecutor in charge of the police corruption cases, today declined to say how valuable Giordano's cooperation has been or where it will lead investigators. Giordano, who retired in 1982 after 23 years on the force, today was indicted by a federal grand jury for failing to report the bribes as income on his 1979 and 1980 tax returns. "I believe he made the right decision when he decided to cooperate with the government," said his attorney. Carmen Nasuti.

"He wants to get this behind him and get his life back together again." Nasuti said he did not know if Giordano will be called as a witness against any former high-ranking officers in any future prosecutions. In a separate indictment, tax charges also were filed today by the grand jury against Charles Howlett, a former police officer who worked for Giordano for about 18-months on a vice squad in the East Police Division. Howlett, 39, also is cooperating with the FBI. Both he and Giordano have agreed to plead guilty to the tax charges at a later date, authorities said. Their cases bring to 36 the number of former officers charged with par- By JIM SMITH Daily News Staff Writer Alfonzo Giordano, a former police inspector, has admitted taking more than $57,000 in bribes from vice figures and has agreed to cooperate with the FBI's police corruption probe, federal authorities announced today.

Giordano, 49, is the fifth former commander of a police division to be charged for taking payoffs and the highest ranking ex-officer to plea bargain and admit wrongdoing since the FBI's investigation began nearly five years ago. Assistant VS. Attorney Howard Alfonzo Giordano: retired cop GVfeirntts KeDatinve ticipating in a citywide police protection racket. So far, 29 have been convicted, and five acquitted. At least 10 of the defendants have become FBI witnesses and many of them have been spared prison terms as a reward for their cooperation.

Giordano and Howlett face up to six years in prison and $10,000 fines, but are hoping their assistance will lead to leniency. Howlett, now operating a janitorial service, was one of five former officers who were prosecution witnesses last year at the trial of former Chief See BRIBE Page 37 Tucker Seeks Urine Tests For Police By JOSEPH R. DAUGHEN Daily News Staff Writer Police Commissioner Kevin M. Tucker has asked the Civil Service Commission to approve regulations authorizing him to require police officers to undergo urinalysis and, in certain cases, polygraph examinations. Under Tucker's proposal, the police commissioner would have total discretion in deciding which officers would have to submit to urine tests, which are given to uncover drug use.

He could order that testing be done randomly and without probable cause. Both the Fraternal Order of Police and the American Civil Liberties Union said they are opposed to testing at random and without probable cause. "It is not the intent to violate anybody's rights," said Capt. Richard De-Lise, Tucker's spokesman. "What we are doing here is just putting down on paper powers that the police commissioner has inherently." The Police Department currently has no formal written policy on the use of urine tests to discover drug use.

Tucker's proposed new Civil Serv- ice regulation would subject an officer who refuses to provide a urine sample when ordered to do so to disciplinary action, including dismissal. Four officers from the 18th District, 55th and Pine streets, were suspended and notified they will be fired in 30 days after they refused to take urine tests on Monday. Tucker also wants the commission to approve a new regulation giving him the discretion to require an officer seeking assignment to certain specialized units to undergo a lie-detector test. This represents a change from Tucker's previous position, which mandated that all officers assigned to these specialized units had to pass polygraph examinations. The units for which polygraph examinations might be required are those that deal with narcotics, vice, organized crime and intelligence and internal investigations.

FOP attorney Anthony Molloy filed a legal challenge to Tucker's original attempt to require those assigned to See TESTS Page 37 Passio said his application and those of two other Democratic committeeman hopefuls were notarized by the department notary, Thomas Garland, "on his lunchtime." Garland said he notarized the applications as a "favor" to the lieutenant. Passio, 32, said his cousin Ralph "told me I shouldn't have done it and New call for disbanding: Page 30 An Editorial- Page 83 I went downstairs and withdrew my application." He said he filed the petition for the 1st Ward, 5th Division committeeman post because he didn't know it was wrong and wanted to do "something for my neighborhood." But a clerk in the city commissioners' office said Passio's application was not withdrawn but returned to him in the mail because an unidentified person had challenged it. First Ward leader James Tayoun admitted he challenged Passio's petition because "he's a city employee. He has to quit his job first like everybody else." But when a reporter informed Tayoun that Passio said he had withdrawn his application voluntarily, the former city councilman countered, "For God's saker if he says that's what happened, then that's what happened. "I wished you had told me that before I started talking to you.

You'll cost me a lot of votes," he added. Tayoun is running for Congress against Rep. Thomas Foglietta and See PASSIO Page 30 By TYREE JOHNSON Daily News Staff Writer Sheriff's Lt. James Passio assistant to his cousin. Sheriff Ralph C.

Passio III, violated the city charter by submitting his nominating papers to become a Democratic committeeman. But the violation was short-lived. James Passio said he withdrew his application on March 12. the same uay lie llltu iL, mici uia luusiu informed him he had violated the charter provision prohibiting appointed city employees from becoming active in partisan politics. Since his cousin hired him Jan.

3, 1984, James Passio has sometimes found himself a center of attention in the sheriffs office. Last April 30, he shot a man who was fleeing from him as Passio tried to serve an arrest warrant charging the man with beating his wife. And recently, his fellow employees filed a complaint through their union with the Pennsylvania Labor Relations Board alleging that Passio was not qualified to be a deputy sheriff or a supervisor. The union, the Fraternal Order of Police, also contends that he should not be carrying a gun. City Controller Joseph Vignola said Passio's filing for committeeman was just another example of "the lack of common sense in the Sheriffs Department" Although Passio said he never worked in law enforcement and admitted he lacked the two-year-minimum law enforcement experience needed to become a deputy sheriff, he maintained he was still qualified for the job.

Vignola said Passio had "technically violated" the charter, but because he is a patronage employee, he could be fired for filing and then rehired once he withdrew his application. "He's lucky," added Vignola. "If he were civil service, he would have lost his job." Vignola and City Councilman John Street have begun a drive to abolish the sheriff's office, as the FBI probes allegations that some employees helped speculators to cheat homeowners out of money they were due after their properties were sold at sheriff's sales. Agents also are investigating thousands of dollars paid to two private auto repair shops for. work never done on department cars.

KEY SHUTTLE DEBRIS The Stena Workhorse heads to Port Canaveral, yesterday with debris of the Space Shuttle Challenger that could be the "smoking gun" in the investigation of the shuttle explosion. If one of the pieces, plucked from the ocean floor, is part of the shuttle's right solid-fuel booster it could contain the seam believed to have triggered the accident that killed seven astronauts 73 seconds after liftoff Jan. 28. Ex-Cop Gets Probation in S. Associated Press Phila.

Thefts DA's office. Kidd was a commander in the 3rd District, 11th and Wharton streets, and a 21-year veteran when he began his crime spree during the midnight-to-8 a.m. shift. The burglary targets included several South Philadelphia landmarks: Claudio's and DiBruno's cheese shops on 9th Street in the Italian Market, plus Nicatoni's restaurant. Front and Reed streets, and Frank's Bar, 13th and Federal streets.

The crimes yielded a total of about $1,400 in cash and 15 cases of meat and cheese. Suppa, who has also pleaded guilty, is expected to be sentenced next month. count in connection with a series of burglaries with two other officers, Robert Doerr and John Suppa, committed between January and April 1984. Defense attorney Michael J. McAllister told Harris that since Doerr has already been placed on probation for two years based on a recommendation of the DA's office, "it should not play fish with one and fowl with the other." Harris imposed an ll-to-23-month prison term, then immediately suspended the sentence and imposed the probationary period.

He ordered Kidd to make restitution in an amount to be set by the By DAVE RACHER Daily News Staff Writer A former Philadelphia police lieutenant, who admitted moonlighting as a burglar while patrolling South Philadelphia's Italian Market, has been placed on two years' probation by Common Pleas Judge Kenneth S. Harris. Assistant District Attorney Kirk Weidemer objected to the sentence for Perry Kidd, 47, claiming it would send the wrong message to other officers and would not act to "protect society" from corrupt police. Kidd, of Almond Street near Indiana Avenue, pleaded guilty to four burglary charges and a conspiracy.