The City of Valparaiso placed embattled Valparaiso Fire Chief David Lanier on administrative leave pending the outcome of an internal investigation into the potentially unlawful termination of a whistleblower in his department.
Earlier this year, immediately after becoming Valparaiso’s second fire chief since they restarted their fire department in April, Lanier was accused by multiple people of using a slur for Black people toward members of the department or in their presence. He was suspended by the Valparaiso City Commission for his alleged comments, but maintained his innocence.
You can read about those accusations in their entirety here.
The Whistleblower, Firefighter David Rodriguez, told Mid Bay News last week that the City had fired him for having too many write-ups.
He claimed he is the only person in the department to have received a write-up—and that they all came after he reported the Chief and accused him of using the slur. Records show that the only two members of the department to receive Employee Warning Reports, or write-ups, are Rodriguez and Fire Chief Lanier. One of Rodriguez’s write-ups appears to have come from City Commissioner in Charge of the Fire Department, Tom Browning. The other two came from Acting Lieutenant Jake Muro.
According to documents obtained by Mid Bay News from a records request to the City of Valparaiso, the Chief’s suspension stems from a decision to terminate Rodriguez on October 14. A document notifying Rodriguez of his termination was signed by his supervisor, Acting Lieutenant Jake Muro. The document stated that the lieutenants on the staff held a meeting on October 2, determined that Rodriguez needed to be fired, and that Chief Lanier ultimately approved the decision.
A letter to Chief Lanier, from the city, explicitly stated his suspension was the result of his “recent actions involving the termination of Fireman Rodriguez.” The letter, from Mayor Smith, noted that he consulted with the City Attorney before making the decision to place him on paid administrative leave, following the outcome of an investigation.”
“This action is being taken to allow for a thorough investigation into the matter and to determine whether any state laws or city policies may have been violated. Please note that this is not a disciplinary action, but a precautionary measure intended to ensure a fair and impartial review process.”
Firefighter Rodriguez has also been placed on administrative leave pending the results of the investigation.
“This is an investigation into the policies of the city and to make sure no one violated state law – lawyers are involved,” said Commissioner Tom Browning, “Our personnel lawyers from Tallahassee are involved.” Browning believes the Commissioners should have an update from the attorneys in the next week.
We called Chief David Lanier’s cell phone and left a message seeking comment on the issue. We will update the story should he return the message.
Commissioner Browning says he’s taken measures to ensure the safety of residents in the Chief’s absence. He told Mid Bay News he has reached out and secured assurances of mutual aid from Niceville Fire Department, East Niceville Fire Department, and Ocean City Wright Fire Control District.”They’ll help us out until we find someone to do the job, if needed,” Browning said.
The lieutenants will manage the Valparaiso Fire Department’s day-to-day operations on shift until the manner is resolved.
Pro Communi Bono
St. Francis De Sales, Ora Pro Nobis!
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