Ansonia’s Fire Chief Ron Burgess Sr. has been placed on administrative leave after two of his guns were stolen from the fire chief’s office, according to Mayor James Della Volpe.
The fire chief’s office is city property. The guns were stored there without permission, Della Volpe said in a prepared statement Wednesday afternoon.
Two calls seeking comment have been left with Burgess.
The guns — a Smith and Wesson 9mm semi-automatic handgun and a Smith and Wesson 5.56 caliber rifle — were among several items stolen. The office is located at the Public Works complex off North Division Street.
The burglary was reported at 7:54 a.m. on Tuesday, when public works employees arrived at the building and noticed a back door had been forced open.
The building is shared by the Public Works Department and five Ansonia Fire Department chiefs. Nothing was reported missing from the DPW.
In addition to the two guns, $6,000 worth of fire equipment were stolen, including:
- One Scott Air Pack valued at $5,000
- Four Uniden BC 35000 Scanners. Value $100 each.
- Motorola portable radio charger Value $250
- Motorola BearCat Scanner. Value $250
- Five sets of earmuffs
- Five sets of safety glasses
Police spokesman Lt. Andrew Cota said the department is investigating. There are no suspects. There was no video surveillance at the office.
Cota said it’s not clear if the suspect went to the office looking for the guns.
The guns were legally registered to Burgess, Cota said. The handgun was stored in a small plastic storage case. The rifle was stored in a soft-shelled rifle case, Cota said. They were not locked up.
Three boxes of rifle ammunition was also taken.
Assistant Fire Chief Michael Eheman declined comment and referred all questions to the Ansonia Police Department.
The Fire Chiefs Office is located on the entire second floor of the public works building. The office has meeting rooms and office space. All the stolen items, except for one hand-held scanner, were inside Burgess’s office.
The police department is looking into why the guns were stored at the fire chiefs’ office, Cota said.
Della Volpe said he was not sure why the guns were stored at the site. As of 3:30 p.m. Wednesday, he had not talked to Burgess.
“I have never authorized the storage of firearms at any city building other than the police department out of concern for the public safety of our citizens,” Della Volpe wrote in the press release.
Della Volpe said his first concern was public safety, and the fact that unsecured guns were stored on city property without his knowledge.
Della Volpe said he received the police report on the incident after noon on Wednesday. Before that, he had only heard rumors about the guns being stolen. Once he received confirmation, Della Volpe said he wrote the press release and instructed the city’s attorney to notify Burgess of the administrative leave.
Burgess is a volunteer, but he receives about $6,000 in a stipend each year. Della Volpe said no stipend payment will be made during the administrative leave.
The first assistant chief has been named interim chief during the leave, according to Della Volpe.
Della Volpe said he is waiting until the police department is done with its investigation to determine if the city should conduct its own investigation.
“I will await the outcome of the police department investigation into the burglary before taking any further action in this matter,” Della Volpe said.
Anyone with any information is asked to contact the Ansonia Police Department at 203 – 735-1885.
