The commander who disputed D.C. Police Chief Cathy Lanier’s claim that police escorts were not commonly provided to celebrities has been relieved of his command duties.
Lanier said Tuesday that she dismissed Commander Hilton Burton as head of the Special Operations Division after consulting with his supervisor.
“Based on a review of command decisions, including several critical incidents, and recommendation from Commander Hilton Burton’s supervising Assistant Chief, I took action yesterday to relieve Commander Burton from his command responsibiities and reassign him to other duties.”
Burton, a 21-year veteran, has had a rocky relationship with Lanier. Burton testified that Lanier herself had established the practice of escorting celebs when she ran SOD from 2002 to 2006. Records show that police escorted Billy Joel and Paul McCartney, among others, during that time.
