DALLAS — Allegations of sexual harassment have stung Dallas Fire-Rescue this year.
News 8 broke the story about Leanne Siri, who filed one of the high profile lawsuits against the department. Now — for the first time — the city has released an independent investigation into her allegations.
The report seems to reveal good news and bad news for Dallas Fire Chief Eddie Burns.
First, he admits to having an affair, and sending a cell phone video of himself shirtless to a woman.
But she was not a city employee, and because of that, Burns isn't in violation of any department policy.
That revelation is inside an independent investigation the city commissioned after Leanne Siri filed her lawsuit. She claims the fire department fired her in retaliation for reporting sexual harassment, among other things.
The investigation was unable to corroborate claims that Burns had sexually harassed Siri, made inappropriate comments to her or instructed her to be silent and out of sight because she was a woman.
That means either none of those claims could be confirmed, or it was situation where the evidence went both ways.
As for the chief's affair, Siri said she found explicit text messages from not just one, but three women — including two who were employed by Dallas Fire-Rescue.
"We could very quickly and definitively put to bed this dispute about to whom and from whom he was receiving text messages, but this city simply will not release those records," said Amy Davis, Siri's attorney.
The city has challenged that assertion in court, saying it would be an invasion of privacy because the messages in question were on Chief Burns' personal cell phone.
The city says its report is evidence that it acted promptly to investigate Siri's claims.
The investigator reviewed 4,500 documents and interviewed 68 people.
But the report puts the department no closer to resolving such contentious claims, which it will have to handle legally.
E-mail jwhitely@wfaa.com
