"Our Guys Are BACK!" were the words printed on a flyer promoting the party.

Police Commissioner Charles H. Ramsey fired three officers, demoted another and suspended a fourth after they were accused of kicking and beating Jonathan Czapor, Demetrios Pittaoulis and Sean Bascom after a long police chase through the city. The event received national publicity and additional scrutiny of the Philadelphia Police Department.

The officers were cleared of any wrongdoing by a grand jury. A different jury also acquitted the men who were beaten, as they'd been charged of a triple shooting in North Philadelphia. An arbitrator ruled that two of the officers should get their jobs back and that the suspension and demotion had been too harsh. Two rookie officers who were fired are also going to be reinstated, according to John McNesby, president of the Fraternal Order of Police.

"This is a sad commentary; it's almost like they're rubbing the arbitrator's decision in the face of the police commissioner," said Philadelphia NAACP President Jerry Mondesire. "The NAACP fully stands behind the police commissioner's decision. It's regrettable that they want to celebrate errant behavior by police."

McNesby argues that there is nothing out of the ordinary about this celebration, given that reinstated officers are regularly celebrated by their colleagues.

"These cops were cleared in every form," McNesby said. "Now they're coming back to work, as they should be, so we're going to welcome them back. Jerry Mondesire needs to pull out the want ads and go find something to do."

Being the son of an officer, I can understand both the good and bad that goes on in police departments. Rather than perceiving the gathering of officers to be a sign of disrespect toward the community, some might see it as individuals who do a dangerous job showing the loyalty to one another that is a necessary and natural part of self-preservation. At the same time, the decision to have a party is just flat out tacky and appears to be a slap in the face of those who were disturbed by this incident. I also wonder what it actually takes for officers to be convicted when they've clearly abused their authority? Given that the officers were videotaped in the beating, the idea that they were completely innocent and worthy of reinstatement argues that there is a fundamental disregard for the safety of the citizens these officers are sworn to protect. Yes, the beating victims were being accused of a crime, but it is not the officer's right to be judge and jury.

Dr. Boyce Watkins is the founder of the Your Black World Coalition. To have Dr. Boyce commentary delivered to your email, please click here.