VFD accuses Prince George’s County, MD in background check failure. Claims investigation confirms it was never notified about convicted arsonist.

Napoleon Queen photo by Wayne Barrall at FITHP.net

Read Ritchie VFD document presented to Prince George’s County Volunteer Fire & Rescue Association

See STATter 911’s previous coverage of this story

The Ritchie Volunteer Fire Department (PGFD Station 837) is accusing the Prince George’s County Fire/EMS Department of “falsely representing the volunteers” at its station. This follows STATter 911’s discovery of a convicted arsonist who was responding on emergency calls from the Ritchie firehouse. Vice-President Larry Lee says Ritchie’s own investigation backs up its claim that PGFD officials never notified them of volunteer firefighter Napoleon Queen’s past.

On February 5, STATter 911 began asking questions about Queen’s 1990 arrest and his later conviction on arson charges. Napoleon Queen was part of a 10-person arson ring involving young Prince George’s County volunteers. Queen was 21 and a member of the Boulevard Heights VFD (PGFD Station 817) at the time of his arrest.

Ritchie officials confirmed that Queen began living at its firehouse and running calls in July of 2007. Larry Lee says the department’s ties with Queen were severed within six hours of being contacted by STATter 911.

Prince George’s County Fire/EMS Department Chief Spokesman Mark Brady said on February 5 a letter was sent on September 10, 2007 to Napoleon Queen, Ritchie’s leadership and other volunteer leaders in the county. The letter ordered that Queen was not to be part of emergency operations. Larry Lee and Dave Crigger, Ritchie’s president, have said the volunteer company never received that notification.

Larry Lee says he presented the results of Ritchie’s internal investigation at last Wednesday’s meeting of the Prince George’s County Volunteer Fire and Rescue Association. Lee provided STATter 911 with a copy of the document he read at the meeting. Here are some of the claims made in Lee’s presentation:

• The career battalion chief who was supposed to have delivered the letter said that no such letter was sent.
• The volunteer major who is supposed to receive these notifications did not get the letter.
• Past practice has been for a career major or battalion chief to hand deliver these notifications.
• Since September, Napoleon Queen’s name or ID number has appeared on approximately 500 county reports.
• On February 9, 2008, Napoleon Queen’s name appeared on a list of people who would be operationally suspended if they did not complete infectious control recertification. (Note: Around 1:00 PM on Monday, February 18, Ritchie VFD Lt. Michael Buck says he received a call from the infectious control office for PGFD saying that Napoleon Queen was among those who needed to come in for his hepatits B shot or face suspension)

As we reported on February 6, Ritchie VFD apparently made no effort to hide Napoleon’s Queen’s involvement in emergency operations. Queen’s name appeared as a live-in member on the company website. Pictures of Queen at two fires in December were also posted on Ritchie37.com.

Spokesman Brady said on February 5 that the Prince George’s County Fire/EMS Department will be conducting its own investigation that could result in disciplinary action. When questioned about the information provided by Ritchie VFD, Brady said on Sunday he is unable to comment due to the ongoing review.

Larry Lee confirms that the Prince George’s County Fire/EMS Department has suspended the safety officer status of Chief 837, William Cunningham.

President Dave Crigger wrote in an email on February 6 that Ritchie received a letter from someone outside the fire department about a month earlier raising questions about Napoleon Queen’s record. Crigger said that information was passed on to PGFD. According to Crigger, Ritchie received no response or guidance. So far, no one from Ritchie VFD has indicated specifically which county official was given that information.

The Prince George’s County Fire/EMS Department is responsible for handling the background checks of career and volunteer firefighters in the county. Despite serving prison time for arson, both career and volunteer sources indicate that Napoleon Queen was still listed in department records as a member of the Boulevard Heights VFD.

Ritchie’s leadership said Queen was never officially a member of its department and was considered a transfer from Boulevard Heights. It is unclear what effect this may have had on a background check. Spokesman Brady indicated on February 5 that checks should be done on both new volunteers and those who transfer from other stations.

Prior to running emergency calls at the Ritchie station, Napoleon Queen was a member of the Bryans Road VFD in Charles County, MD. At Bryans Road Queen rose to the rank of lieutenant.

STATter 911 has been in contact with Napoleon Queen, but so far he has not responded to requests for comment.