Special to the Trice Edney News Wire from the Richmond Free Press

(TriceEdneyWire.com) - Two White Richmond policemen are under investigation for allegedly making threatening comments concerning President Obama during his recent re-election rally visit to Virginia Commonwealth University.

The gist of the alleged comments:

 • One policeman is reported to have said he wished he could blow up the stage while the president was speaking.

 • The other officer is alleged to have said he wished he had a gun, inferring he’d like to shoot the president.

 Richmond Police said an investigation of the two officers and their remarks is ongoing. Otherwise, department officials are tight-lipped about the matter.

 “The Department will not identify the officers nor discuss their current work status,” department spokesman Gene Lepley stated in a press release.

Lepley also stated that the department had conferred with the Secret Service.

Bill Frantzen, special agent in charge of the Richmond office of the Secret Service told the Free Press in a phone May 29 interview, “We don’t comment on issues on any type of statements. We consider this issue resolved. We’re not looking into it any farther.”

The head of the state NAACP called for “the greatest penalty” to be administered if the investigation reveals the officers made the comments.

“The life of the President and any other persons must receive the greatest protection and is the primary duty of the police and nothing less,” said King Salim Khalfani, executive director of the civil rights organization.

Mayor Dwight C. Jones called the alleged remarks by the two officers “appalling” and “certainly not reflective of how the Richmond Police Department generally conducts itself.”

He added, “There are no circumstances under which the alleged conduct will be tolerated.”

The comments allegedly were made during the President and first lady’s May 5 visit to VCU’s Siegel Center where they spoke. A Black officer overheard the remarks and reported them to his superiors.

The two officers “did not have an assignment related to the president’s detail,” according to the statement issued by the police.

The department deemed the comments as “inappropriate” in the release.

“These alleged comments, while not criminal in nature, are currently being investigated by the Department for appropriate administrative action,” Lepley stated. Threatening to kill, kidnap or inflict bodily harm on the president is a Class D felony; punishment ranges from five to 10 years in prison.