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Thursday, March 06, 2008

911 supervisor fired after 'racy' office party photos are posted on MySpace

A day after The Mercury broke the news that Montgomery County 911 dispatchers held a holiday party where liquor and sex toys were displayed on county property, the shift supervisor has been fired by the county commissioners.

The original story from The Mercury Web site revealed that sex toys and booze apparently were part of a holiday gift exchange held by Montgomery County 911 operators while on the job at the county's emergency dispatch center.

Under county regulations, alcohol, even in unopened containers, is not permitted in any county facility. It's not clear what county policy says about sex toys.

Photos taken at the party have made their way onto MySpace.com, which has caused great embarrassment to county officials.

Reporter Carl Hessler Jr. has a follow-up story in Friday's edition of The Mercury, stating that the county commissioners have fired one person and have launched an investigation into the incident.

The commissioners voted unanimously to fire a platoon supervisor at the county's Emergency Dispatch Center in Eagleville who earned $47,289 a year. The commissioners did not identify the the employee.

But they did not mince words about the incident.

"What is certainly clear is that this behavior was unbelievably stupid," Commissioner Joe Hoeffel said.

"And doing it in front of a camera multiplies the stupidity,' added commissioners' Chairman James Matthews. "Public safety was not compromised, it's public confidence that is damaged here."

County officials said they are mulling appropriate disciplinary actions, including suspensions or written warnings, against other employees who may have violated county policies.

"The violation here is particularly troubling because of the nature of it happening at the 911 Center and the embarrassment that it places the county in," said Commissioner Bruce L. Castor Jr.

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