Birmingham News staff writer Anita Debro reports on the scandal in the Irondale, Alabama city government. Excerpt:
Irondale officials remained tight-lipped Monday about an investigation into the police department and who may have leaked information about a drug case involving a city councilman’s son.
Irondale’s Public Safety Committee, charged with handling the internal investigation into who leaked information about the drug investigation, has yet to interview any employees or ask any to take a polygraph test as Irondale Mayor Allen Ramsey had suggested.
Ramsey requested last week that City Hall employees be interviewed and given a polygraph test if necessary to find out who gave a police report about the drug investigation to radio talk show hosts Russ and Dee Fine.
City Attorney Greg Morris said no polygraph tests are scheduled for the near future. He denied published reports that the committee has backed off giving the lie detector tests altogether.
“We may have to (ask for a polygraph), but we may not have to,” he said. “We are just in the fact-finding stage.”
Before Ramsey turned the investigation over to the committee, several police officers had already submitted to the polygraph tests, including acting Police Chief Norman Stapp.