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CHRIS TISCHCity employees will review the case of a fire supervisor accused of spending long lunches in a city-issued SUV at a park.
CLEARWATER - A city firefighter's accusations that police ordered a parking officer to destroy evidence are untrue, according to an internal investigation released Tuesday.
In a letter to city officials, firefighter Mark Anyon claimed the Fire Department supervisor was meeting a woman who works for another city department a couple times per week at Sand Key Park. The meetings occurred around lunchtime; the supervisor drove to the park in his city-issued sport utility vehicle, the letter states.
Park rangers noticed a government vehicle at the park for up to two hours at a time and became concerned, according to the investigation report. They asked Clearwater police service technician William Kunzman to photograph the SUV to help them find the department where the man worked.
Anyon claimed police officials then ordered Kunzman to erase the photos from his digital camera.
But the internal investigation found that allegation false. Kunzman, who uses the camera to photograph cars parked illegally, told investigators he erased the photograph on his own. He said the city vehicle was not illegally parked.
The report says the supervisor called a police official he knows, Lt. Jim Steffens, to ask why his SUV was photographed. Steffens called Kunzman's supervisor, Linda Burch, and asked the same question.
Burch called Kunzman, who told her of the park rangers' concerns. Thinking that supervisors already knew about the fire vehicle being at the park, Kunzman erased the photo, he said.
After speaking with police Chief Sid Klein, Steffens reported what he knew to fire Chief Rowland Herald. Herald said the supervisor had already told him about the incident.
Kunzman, Burch and Steffens told internal affairs that no order was given to erase the photo.
Joe Roseto, the city's human resources director, said his staff will review the Police Department investigation to determine if the fire supervisor should be investigated for the time he spent at the park.
As a salaried employee, the fire supervisor has some leeway to come in early, stay late or take an extended lunch, Roseto said.
"Taking lunch at a public place like that probably isn't the best thing to do," Roseto said. "I'm not saying he did anything wrong. I don't think he did."
City Manager Bill Horne said salaried employees are held to a higher standard in that they are asked to steer away from any actions that could even be perceived as inappropriate.