A Wilmington Fire Marshal inspector conducting residency investigations outside the city was questioned by two different police agencies last week, including one in Pennsylvania. In one instance, he pulled a gun on a man who said he photographed the inspector coming out of neighbors' backyards.
No charges were brought against Thomas L. Ruger Jr., but the incidents raise questions about who is authorized to perform residency inquiries.
"That is not their job," said Wilmington Councilman Michael A. Brown Sr., who pointed to a city policy claiming these investigations are supposed to be conducted by the city's Residency Review Board. "It does not say that the departments have a right to do it."
New city employees, including firefighters, must live in the city for at least five years.
Brown demanded the city's human resource department and the solicitor investigate the matter, adding that Wilmington Mayor Dennis P. Williams' administration feels like it can supersede city codes. "It goes on to show you that this administration picks and chooses who they want to go after," he said.
A spokeswoman for Williams' administration declined to comment on the incidents involving the inspector. One took place Wednesday in the Richardson Park area near Newport, and the other occurred Friday in Hatfield Township, Pennsylvania, about 50 miles northwest of Wilmington.