FDNY Chief Removed Amid Probe Of 'Inappropriate Behavior'

NEW YORK — The FDNY's top uniformed firefighter has been removed from his post while the city investigates his alleged "inappropriate behavior," the department said Thursday. Chief of Department James Leonard has been placed on modified duty amid the investigation, department spokesman Frank Gribbon said.

"While a review is conducted by the city’s Law Department concerning allegations of inappropriate behavior, Chief James Leonard has been relieved of his duties as Chief of Department effective today and placed on modified assignment," Gribbon said in a statement.

John Sudnik, the FDNY's chief of operations, is filling Leonard's shoes as acting chief of department, Gribbon said.

The nature of the allegations against Leonard is unclear. A Law Department spokesman confirmed the FDNY's statement, but did not answer questions about when the probe started or how long it's expected to take.

Leonard started as a firefighter in Brooklyn in 1979 and rose through the ranks before Fire Commissioner Daniel Nigro appointed him chief of department in 2014.

Leonard's removal came two days after the New York Daily News reported on a struggle between him and First Deputy Commissioner Laura Kavanagh, the only woman in the FDNY's top echelon.

Leonard allegedly uses "misogynistic slurs" and has directed other chiefs to exclude Kavanagh from internal communicaitons, the paper reported.

(Lead image: Chief of Department James Leonard is seen in September 2017. Photo from FDNY/Flickr)