DC Police Escort For Charlie Sheen's Show Under Investigation - DC Breaking Local News Weather Sports FOX 5 WTTG

Internal affairs is now investigating the lights and siren escort actor Charlie Sheen was given this week as he made his way into the District for a show at DAR Constitution Hall.

D.C. Police Chief Cathy Lanier says she asked for the investigation after hearing two officers in marked cruisers may have broken police protocol as well as traffic laws as they escorted Sheen into the city from the airport.

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Sheen bragged on stage about the escort he was given to his show Tuesday night. But it is what he put on his Twitter page that got the attention of the chief of police.

Quite late for his concert at DAR Constitution Hall, Sheen posted a picture of the speedometer inside the vehicle he was riding in on his Twitter page. It appears to show 80 miles per hour. Over the dashboard, you can clearly see a police car with its lights flashing.

Sheen wrote along with the picture, "In car with Police escort in front and rear! driving like someone's about to deliver a baby! Cop car lights #Spinning!"

"From what I know right now, and I don't know how much of it is fact and how much of it is allegation and how much of it is not correct. From what I know right now, I have asked Internal Affairs to investigate because from what the allegation is, it is not something authorized by the Metropolitan Police Department, so there are limited circumstances where we do police escorts, those circumstances are based on security need and there are protocols that need to be followed when we do escorts,” said Chief Lanier Thursday.

Sources familiar with the investigation say Sheen agreed to pay for the escort from Dulles International Airport where he was met by a police sergeant and another officer in marked D.C. Police cruisers. It is called a reimbursable detail, a fairly common practice.

FOX 5's Paul Wagner asked Chief Lanier, "Can celebrities who want to pay for escorts call MPD and ask for escorts?”

"We don't do escorts of celebrities," replied Chief Lanier. "There are events that we do reimbursable details for. If there is a large event, performances, entertainment that may involve celebrities that draw large crowds, traffic congestion, things like that, yes, we would want a reimbursable detail to avoid any public safety hazard by the large event, but we do not do escorts of celebrities.”

Sources say the controversy has more to do with what was done by the officers outside the city limits.

Running red lights inside the District as Sheen said they did? Well, that's up for debate.

Sources familiar with the investigation say the officers knew Sheen was running late for his event and for whatever reason, they were willing to turn on their emergency lights and sirens while allegedly speeding in order to get him there.

Chief Lanier says her two major concerns revolve around what happened outside the city limits as well as learning who set up the reimbursable detail and why.

Statement by D.C. Police on Charlie Sheen Escort Investigation:

While the escort of actor Charlie Sheen was conducted by the Metropolitan Police Department’s Special Operations Division, if the allegations are correct, several aspects of this escort were not within policy.

• It is not our practice to utilize emergency equipment for non emergency situations.
• Members of the MPD generally do not operate in another jurisdiction without the assistance of a partner agency.
• It appears our protocols surrounding the approval of reimbursable details were not followed in this instance.

Additionally, our written policy states that Police vehicles shall be used for escort duty only for the purpose of providing security for the President and Vice President of the United States and such visiting heads of state or their representative who may require extra-ordinary protective measures because of the political conditions which exist at that time, and the Mayor of the District of Columbia. There is a provision that allows for requests to be reviewed on a case by case basis, but the submission must go through the chain of command and be approved by an Assistant Chief.

This matter is under investigation by the MPD Internal Affairs Division.

Cathy L. Lanier,
Chief of Police