Baltimore Fire Department Employee Paid During Jail Time for Unreported Convictions

A recent report from the Baltimore City Inspector General's Office has unveiled that a Baltimore City Fire Department (BCFD) employee continued to receive compensation while serving a sentence for criminal offenses, which were not reported as required by department policy.

The investigation was initiated following an anonymous tip regarding the employee's failure to disclose a 2019 arrest for driving with a suspended license. Further inquiry revealed an earlier arrest in 2018 for driving under the influence.

BCFD policy mandates that employees report any legal issues, including civil and criminal matters. The report indicated that the employee was sentenced in February 2020 and began serving a prison term in March of the same year. The individual spent 24 days in jail and was subsequently placed under house arrest until late May 2020.

Throughout this period, the employee did not inform the BCFD of the arrests or the resulting sentence. During a disciplinary hearing, the employee claimed ignorance of the reporting requirements. The hearing concluded with a recommendation for a three-day suspension without pay.

Remarkably, the employee was able to visit the Public Safety Infirmary during this time, a facility that caters to employees suffering from work-related illnesses. Despite being off-duty, the employee continued to receive both regular and sick pay amounting to $13,733 from March until the end of May 2020.

Upon returning to work in June 2020, the employee was promoted to a supervisory position in 2021, despite the prior conviction. An anonymous complaint suggested that a mandatory background check should have disqualified the employee from such a promotion. Human Resources stated that while the employee was given five days to respond to the background check findings, they failed to do so.

In 2024, the employee was arrested again for DUI and served an eight-day sentence, yet failed once more to report the incident to the fire department. The Inspector General has referred this matter to law enforcement for potential criminal investigation.

In response to the findings, BCFD officials announced plans to conduct an internal investigation. They stated that any additional wrongdoing discovered during this process would prompt further investigations into other BCFD personnel.

Reported by HarborBeat based on CBS News (source).