FAIRFAX, Va. — The Fairfax firefighter’s union wants a top investigator disciplined and even terminated from his position.
Guy Morgan, the department’s director of professional standards, was placed on administrative leave May 13 after posting lewd and offensive comments on his Facebook page, only weeks after firefighter-paramedic Nicole Mittendorff’s suicide. He was previously part of an internal affairs investigation concerning workplace violations and complaints.
“We understand due process, but based upon information we have from two separate occasions, and with what the media has learned, there needs to be some very serious discipline,” John Niemiec, president of the Fairfax County Professional FireFighters and Paramedic Association, said.
Niemiec told WUSA9 that two different firefighters recently complained about Morgan’s behavior; one before the death of Nicole Mittendorff, the other after.
“We have two separate cases, two separate individuals of conduct unbecoming, and the mannerisms. I can say that they were unprofessional,” Niemiec said.
Morgan, a former Fairfax County police officer, carried a gun with him at the fire department because he is a Special Conservator of the Peace. Morgan has been a SCOP since 2014, an appointment some lawmakers and firefighter’s question.
State Senator Scott Surovell said an internal affairs investigator should not be a SCOP. “I think if we’re going to imbue anyone the power to arrest, and carry a gun and badge, we ought to know if they’re legitimate or not,” Surovell said.
A recent state law requires SCOP officers to register with the Department of Criminal Justice Services, but it is unclear if Morgan has done so.
“There should be some very serious discipline that needs to occur up to and including suspension or even termination,” Niemiec said.