A San Jose hearth captain was demoted after firefighters gave a bikini-clad girl in heels a brief ride-along in a hearth engine final yr in an incident that was recorded and posted on social media, prompting an inside investigation.
Within the video, the hearth engine is seen stopped on the road blocking site visitors with its emergency lights spinning overhead when a lady in a white bikini steps out of the car and into the Pink Poodle strip membership.
Eight months after the incident occurred, officers have nonetheless launched few particulars about what, if any, disciplinary motion had been taken, although the hearth chief stated in a memo that the incident violated quite a few metropolis and hearth division insurance policies.
The incident prompted a public uproar, at the same time as metropolis officers declined to launch particulars in regards to the incident.
In a current metropolis supervisor self-discipline report, town famous {that a} hearth captain was demoted because of partaking in conduct that violated town’s code of ethics and the hearth division’s guidelines and laws.
A spokesperson for town confirmed that the incident within the report referred to the video taken on the Pink Poodle.
The report states that the choice was not appealed however doesn’t clarify when the self-discipline came about. The Mercury Information first reported the demotion.
“The self-discipline was honest and the method was performed throughout the civil service guidelines,” stated Carolina Camarena, spokesperson for town supervisor’s workplace. “We will now give attention to protecting our metropolis protected.”
In a memo from San Jose Fireplace Chief Robert Sapien launched in Could however dated April 25, the chief famous that the crew assigned to the hearth engine had first given an “unauthorized male passenger” a experience from the hearth station to his job on the Pink Poodle on Oct. 5.
The memo doesn’t determine who the male was or clarify why firefighters gave him a experience within the hearth engine.
After the hearth engine arrived on the strip membership, a lady then “continued” in asking for a ride-along with the crew. Firefighters at first declined, in response to the memo, however then gave the lady a experience across the block within the car.
The hearth engine then drove to an industrial a part of town, stopping close to one other grownup institution — AJ’s Restaurant & Bar, which describes itself on its Fb web page as “nightly leisure that includes stunning bikini dancers.”
The memo states that the hearth engine was parked there for about two minutes earlier than heading again to the station, however it presents no clarification of why the firefighters went to the situation.
Metropolis officers have repeatedly declined to launch data or paperwork associated to the incident or the following inside investigation.
The Bay Space Information Group has filed a lawsuit towards town, asking for data relating to the investigation and any disciplinary actions taken by town in connection to it.
