San Jose Fire chief calls for disciplinary action against those involved in strip club scandal
SAN JOSE – San Jose Fire Department Chief Robert Sapien, Jr. called on the city manager to take disciplinary action against those involved in the department's strip club scandal in a memorandum signed on Friday.
An investigation that concluded last month revealed that policies, procedures, rules and regulations were violated last year after a video surfaced of a woman in a bikini getting out of a fire truck parked outside a strip club in October.
San Jose Fire Chief, Robert Sapien Jr., was made aware on Oct. 6 of a video on social media that showed a fire department emergency vehicle positioned outside of the Pink Poodle, an adult entertainment club located at 328 S. Bascom Avenue, on Oct 5.
A video posted on the Instagram account "San Jose Foos" showed a woman leaving Engine 4 outside the club's entrance.
According to the memorandum document, Sapien prompted an investigation into the video that was coordinated with the City's Manager's Office of Employee Relations.
Following the results of the investigation, Sapien suggested that the city manager take disciplinary action against those involved in the department's strip club scandal.
The names of the employees involved will remain confidential, and the city said it would not be able to give further details.
"The actions portrayed in the video were received with disappointment and concern, as they appeared seriously misaligned with the Department's mission and values and were highly detrimental to the confidence and trust of our community and our workforce," said Sapien in the memorandum.
He said the department is acting to reinforce standards of conduct across the organizations starting with all senior officers and progressively to each employee.