Police chiefs in Washington D. Council committee hearing Thursday on the use of police escorts for celebrities. The issue rose to prominence after actor Charlie Sheen tweeted about his escort by police to a performance in Washington in April. Scroll down for video. The hearing is intended to clarify the record and establish exactly what the department's policy is. She says the internal affairs department is investigating.
Investigation: The actor's entourage had a high-speed dash to the show in DC escorted by two police cars, prompting the city to look into the whole area of police escorts.
Council member Phil Mendelson called the hearing after The Associated Press reported that celebrities including Bill Gates and Jay-Z had received police escorts in the last two years. DC police have said in the past that escorts are reserved for the president, vice president and visiting heads of state.
Records obtained by The Associated Press through a Freedom of Information Act request show police have provided escorts in the last year to college and professional sports teams, and sometimes to team owners.
Records indicate the department is reimbursed. Chief Cathy Lanier said at the time that the escort violated department protocol and that escorts aren't intended for celebrities. The crazed actor, 45, caused quite a stir when he arrived in Washington D. Two sport-utility vehicles carrying the late-arriving Sheen and his entourage were escorted by two marked police police cars with emergency lights flashing and sirens wailing.
