An Anne Arundel County police officer has been suspended after a picture of a police cruiser with a hat inside that had the name of the controversial Oath Keepers group on it was brought to the department's attention, police said.

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An Anne Arundel County police officer has been suspended after a picture of a police cruiser with a hat inside that had the name of the controversial Oath Keepers group on it was brought to the department's attention, police said.A police spokesman said the officer's police powers have been suspended pending the outcome of an internal investigation after the photo was brought to them. The officer, a 9-year veteran of the department, has not yet been identified.A woman spotted the hat inside the police vehicle on Monday afternoon when it was parked in the parking lot of Whole Foods in the Annapolis Town Center."I was passing by a police car and I happen to look in it and I was surprised to see an Oath Keeper's hat in the back of the car. It kind of rocked me to my core because I didn't expect it in Anne Arundel County," the woman, who wished to remain anonymous, said."When you see a hat that sends the message, whatever the message is behind the political group, it's unacceptable behavior and prohibited," Anne Arundel County police Chief Timothy Altomare said.Less than a day after getting the report, Altomare suspended the officer."Good Lord, it's 2016. Every one of my cops should know better," Altomare said.According to its website, "Oath Keepers is a non-partisan association of current and formerly serving military, police, and first responders, who pledge to fulfill the oath all military and police take to defend the Constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic."The website goes on to say, "Oath Keepers reaches out to both current serving and veterans to remind them of their oaths, to teach them more about the Constitution they swore to defend, and to inspire them to defend it."The organization was involved in recent protests in Ferguson, Missouri. Armed members came to Ferguson as protesters took to the streets after the police-involved shooting death of Michael Brown, a black man, in 2014.The organization also became part of an armed a standoff with the federal government at the Nevada ranch of Cliven Bundy in 2014."The group the Oath Keepers is an organization that espouses a certain political ideology (and) police officers are not allowed to espouse political ideology when they're representing themselves as police officers," Altomare said.The Southern Poverty Law Center describes the group as anti-government and militaristic. The Anti-Defamation League and Southern Poverty Law Center both have the Oath Keepers on their lists of hate watch groups."What we've done is freeze the moment in time as it relates to the officer's ability to enforce the law. I can't have it when there's a question about mindset and heart set, if that makes sense," Altomare said.The county resident is glad the chief acted swiftly."The Anne Arundel County police moved swiftly, and I think that will give confidence to the people who live here," she said.Since filing the complaint, the woman said she has received threats on social media. Police said that's also not tolerable and the threats will be investigated."There are people who have one perception of what Oath Keepers means and others have a different perception," Altomare said. "I think what's important to note at this point is that police don't have the ability in uniform or rep themselves at police to espouse any political ideology."WBAL-TV 11 news reporters Barry Simms and Kai Reed contributed to this story.Get the WBAL-TV News App