DC police official sent email about 'file burn' day before records found on fire at fire department training academy. Fire & police unions trying to shed light on what's behind document disposal.

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Read letter from Fraternal Order of Police Chairman Kristopher Baumann and D.C. Firefighters Association President Edward Smith to the Office of the Inspector General

Previous coverage of this story

There are many unanswered questions about documents found burning at the DC Fire & EMS Department training academy last Friday. It is truly one of the more unique and bizarre incidents involving public safety in the Nation’s Capital that I have seen.

In the latest news coverage, an email sent a week ago this morning from a Metropolitan Police Department training official mentions a file burn for the next day. The head of the police union believes the documents are related to its attempt through the courts to get police department recruiting records. But, so far, that doesn’t explain why fire department records were part of the burn and what role fire officials may have played in this unusual disposal of documents.

Besides the big picture of trying to figure out a motive for destroying the documents, you can’t help but wonder about the legality of conducting such a burn, whether its city documents or yesterday’s newspapers.

Alan Suderman, Washington City Paper Loose Lips columnist:

A deputy director of the department’s recruitment bureau wrote to his staff on May 17 that there was to be a “file burn” the next day and the staff should get the items ready that they wanted destroyed. (See the email below.)

The next day, a fire engine company was called to the training academy to put out three burning dumpsters and an abandoned car that had been set on fire. The firefighters noticed what looked like personnel records of firefighters and police officers in the blazing rubble. Police and fire union officials asked the city’s Office of Inspector General yesterday to investigate.

Police email via Washington City Paper.

Andrea Noble, The Washington Times:

In an email Wednesday, Fraternal Order of Police Chairman Kristopher Baumann alleged that the file burning was an attempt by the department to avoid providing responses to a Freedom of Information Act request. The order filed a lawsuit against the police department May 14 seeking the release of information about recruiting matters.

“We are looking into whether any records retention protocols have been violated,” department spokeswoman Gwendolyn Crump said.

Fire department spokesman Lon Walls on Wednesday said, “The whole matter is under investigation,” and declined to comment further.

In March, Chief Burke was one of those chastised by a D.C. Superior Court judge for making “transparently false” statements in an effort to prevent the release of police documents and policies.

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