Fire/Rescue News - Atlantic City firefighters allegedly asked females to remove clothing, perform sex acts, city says
By LYNDA COHEN Staff Writer, 609-272-7257 and DAN GOOD Staff Writer, 609-272-7203 | Posted: Thursday, September 17, 2009 | 52 comments
ATLANTIC CITY - Mayor Lorenzo Langford confirmed Thursday one firefighter is suspended without pay and three others have been disciplined for their alleged roles in a sexual incident at a firehouse in May.
Firefighter Richard Williams Jr. allegedly invited four females - including two 16-year-olds and a 19-year-old - into Station 2 on Indiana and Baltic avenues and coaxed at least one of them into removing her clothes and performing sex acts, City Solicitor Robert Tarver said.....Continue Reading
Continued from page 1
Langford declined to name the other three men, other than to say that two are captains and the other was the man on watch, whose responsibility it is to know who is coming into and out of the station at all times. He would not detail how the three were disciplined.
In the first official explanation of the allegations, Tarver said one of the teens donned fire equipment and was photographed in it while at least partially undressed. He also said one or more was asked "to perform masturbation and fellatio."
The firehouse was fully staffed at the time, Tarver said.
Langford emphasized that an internal investigation will continue and that he will seek the immediate dismissal of firefighters if allegations are confirmed.
At the press conference, Langford also addressed his decision to remove K-9 patrols from the city's police department. He showed a montage of photographs of bite injuries from police dogs.
Two 16-year-olds alleged in a suit filed Wednesday that Williams, 36, invited them into Station 2 for pizza in May, then had the teens touch his genitals and sexually gratified himself in front of them and a 19-year-old woman. All three teens previously filed tort claims, court documents that allege breaches of civil law, saying they intended to sue the firefighters on duty at the time, the fire chief and the city for $5 million.
During the press conference, city officials distributed a letter Langford sent to state Attorney General Anne Milgram, expressing his frustrations in the handling of the firehouse investigation by Atlantic County Prosecutor Ted Housel.
Langford urged Milgram to investigate the alleged misconduct.
"The elements of race, age and sex have combined to make this a perfect storm of volatile factors," Langford wrote.
Williams "vehemently denies" the charges, his attorney said.
"Put simply, the allegations are patently false," Joseph Levin said, adding that Williams was not on duty at the time the incident allegedly took place. "This case is not about the allegations and purported misconduct, but rather about one thing: money."
He noted that the claims were not made until at least a month after the alleged incident. Despite claims by the activist group National Action Network, or NAN, that a report was filed with the Police Department in June, Atlantic County Prosecutor Ted Housel has said there was no evidence that authorities were notified until July.
The NAN, led locally by Steve Young, has charged the investigation was slowed because the accused firefighters are white and the teens are black.
An administrative probe into the incident at the Indiana and Baltic avenue station resumed last week, after the Atlantic County Prosecutor's Office found no cause for criminal charges.
All of the parties involved were at least 16 - the age of consent in New Jersey - and there was no evidence that anything was not consensual, Housel found. He also said that, because the teens were at the station as guests and not as a result of the firefighters' work, official misconduct did not apply.
Langford said at the time that he disagreed with the official misconduct decision and indicated that administrative penalties would be enforced, which could include termination. An administrative hearing is required for that to happen, and is the next step, according to officials.
The case is politically motivated, Williams' attorney alleged.
"Clearly, Mayor Langford is politicizing the case in order to drive a wedge between the Fire Department, Police Department and the public," Levin said. "The mayor wants to weaken the fire and police departments, which did not support his bid for re-election, so it is harder for them to oppose his illegal appointment of a public safety director. It is a political power play."
The mayor could not be reached for comment Wednesday night, but a news release announcing today's news conference did make reference to the controversial position.
"Will the recent approval from City Council regarding the hiring of a Public Safety director improve the relationship between the residents and the ACPD or ACFD?" it asks.
The administration served Housel's office with a subpoena last week, asking that any statements obtained from the criminal investigation be turned over to the city. Housel immediately turned over the teens' interviews, after receiving a written guarantee that nothing be made public.
Files from the firefighters were to be turned over because none of their lawyers objected, Housel said Wednesday.
Langford showed video of a 2005 verbal argument involving police dogs. The video shows a cluster of people standing on the beach. Police were called, people were handcuffed, then one of the men being taken into custody fell on the ground and the dog latched onto the man's arm.
"Once the K-9 dogs latched on, and the officer gave orders to detatch, the dog was unresponsive," Langford said.
Langford supported the police department, but said city administrators are investigating the K-9 unit's bite-and-hold policy.
"We have stacks and stacks of complaints, and administratively, that's why we're so concerned," Langford said. "We took a proactive approach, and we're being painted as the bad guy."
Langford said after the initial ban, the city re-instated bomb-sniffing and drug detection dogs.
"If our investigation suggests that these K-9 dogs have not been overzealously used ... I will absolutely put them back into control," Langford said. "If the data suggests some problems, we will continue to suspend the use of police dogs."
Langford did not give a timetable for the length of the investigation. During the 45-minute press conference, he said he would be haunted if an officer lost their life in the absence of K-9 support.
"It would also haunt me if we kept these dogs on the street, and a civilian was killed in the process," Langford said.
Staff writer Michael Clark contributed to this report.
E-mail Lynda Cohen: LCohen@pressofac.com
Posted in Atlantic_city, Breaking on Thursday, September 17, 2009 12:30 am Updated: 2:00 pm.
