Mark Segraves, wtop.com
WASHINGTON – D.C. Police Chief Cathy Lanier is denying rumors that she covered up domestic dispute calls to the home of Mayor Adrian Fenty.
Lanier’s remarks came just days after Fenty publicly denied the rumors for the first time.
Speaking on WTOP’s Ask The Chief program on Thursday, Lanier said she had been hearing the rumors for years.
“Actually, those rumors surfaced – I believe – as soon as he began running for mayor, and they’ve been around ever since,” Lanier said.
“Periodically, they will pop back up, but I can tell you without any question, nobody in the Metropolitan Police Department would cover that up. Certainly, I wouldn’t cover that up as a district commander.”
Earlier this week, Fenty was asked for the first time about the rumors. According to the Washington Post, Fenty told radio station WPGC the rumors were false.
“None of that is true. Very happily married. Got three great kids. You see a lot, none of that has ever made it to the light of day,” Fenty told the Big Tigger Show.
“It borders on libel and slander, to be perfectly honest with you. Every time something is raised, I send it right to my attorney, because none of it is true,” Fenty said.
Many of the rumors included Lanier as being part of the cover up back when she was the commander of the Fourth District Police Station, which covers the neighborhood where the Fentys live.
“Clearly, there’s plenty of people who would like to report things like that about me or about the mayor,” Lanier told WTOP.
“Somebody would have come forward with factual information about that if that had happened.”
“There’s people out there who like to start vicious rumors – they know which ones are the most damaging,” Lanier said.
“As soon as Mayor Fenty actually started running for mayor, this is when those things surfaced. Sometimes we just have to deal with this kind of craziness.”
Also on Ask the Chief, Lanier announced that the investigation into the murder of Robert Wone remains an “open and very active case.”
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