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Posted: 2023-09-14T21:40:28Z | Updated: 2023-09-14T21:40:28Z

A Pennsylvania state police leader attempted to deflect criticism this week after a group of fellow officers posed for a photo with escaped murderer Danelo Cavalcante just moments after his capture.

Cavalcante was at the epicenter of a highly publicized, nearly two-week manhunt that ended Wednesday. The 34-year-old was apprehended in a wooded area of South Coventry Township, Pennsylvania, after escaping from Chester County Prison on Aug. 31.

News of Cavalcantes capture understandably came as a relief to area residents. However, many of the arresting officers drew ire online after being seen gathering around the handcuffed fugitive as another cop snapped a photo on his phone.

Footage of the eyebrow-raising moment was captured for posterity by CBS News and other outlets.

The law enforcement team that captured convicted killer Danelo Cavalcante poses for a photo with him Wednesday morning following a nearly two week manhunt. https://t.co/KCAx2qePNW pic.twitter.com/YQBXZKLVeh

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The law enforcement team that captured convicted killer Danelo Cavalcante poses for a photo with him Wednesday morning following a nearly two week manhunt. https://t.co/KCAx2qePNW pic.twitter.com/YQBXZKLVeh

CBS News (@CBSNews) September 13, 2023

Every one of those officers should be reprimanded for unprofessionalism, one person tweeted .

Added another : I dont care how awful the crime isthis photo is in poor taste.

At a Wednesday news conference, Pennsylvania State Police Lt. Col. George Bivens said he wasnt fazed and urged the media to focus on his team being able to capture Cavalcante successfully.

Those men and women worked amazingly hard through some very trying circumstances, Bivens said, according to NBC Philadelphia . Theyre proud of their work. Im not bothered at all by the fact that they took a photograph with him in custody.

He went on to note: Again, theyre proud of their work. They kept the community safe. I say thanks to them and good job.

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Whether legal experts share that stance, however, is questionable.

From a policing ethics point of view, a police officer taking a picture on the street and putting it on social media or doing it as a celebratory or retaliatory thing is not OK, Adam Scott Wandt, an associate professor of public policy at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice, told The Associated Press . As an attorney, it is an evidentiary problem being created here too. Its a dangerous practice for a police officer to create evidence on a scene and not properly turn it over to the prosecutor.

Last month, Cavalcante received a life sentence after being convicted of the 2021 murder of his ex-girlfriend, Deborah Brandao. He is also the lead suspect in a 2017 murder in his native Brazil.

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Consider supporting HuffPost starting at $2 to help us provide free, quality journalism that puts people first.

Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.

The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. Would you consider becoming a regular HuffPost contributor?

Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.

The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. We hope you'll consider contributing to HuffPost once more.

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