Dearborn Fire Chief placed on leave after arrest
Dearborn Fire Chief Joseph Murray has been placed on administrative leave after he was arrested earlier this week on suspicion of drunken driving.
“On Tuesday, the administration was notified of an incident involving our fire chief,” Dearborn Mayor Abdullah Hammoud said in a statement Thursday to the Free Press through city spokesman Hassan Abbas. “We are taking this matter seriously. As facts become known, we will take the appropriate course of action. At this time, the fire chief is on administrative leave.”
Murray, 44, who is also president of the Southeastern Michigan Association of Fire Chiefs, was pulled over early Tuesday morning by police in Dearborn Heights and detained after an officer accused him of being drunk while he was driving, according to video footage obtained by the Dearborn Press & Guide.
A native of Chicago, Murray has been with Dearborn’s fire department since 2004, according to his biography posted on the city’s website. In 2012, he was named fire chief by then-Mayor John O’Reilly Jr.
“He has strong education credentials,” the city’s bio reads.
He graduated from Madonna University with a bachelor’s degree in fire science/occupational safety and health and also has earned an MBA, and a doctorate in public policy and administration from Walden University in Minnesota, among other degrees, according to the city.
Video footage obtained by the Dearborn Press & Guide shows police interacting with Murray after pulling him over.
“I had four or five beers,” Murray is heard saying.
An officer said to him: “Let’s just be honest, you’re absolutely ripped. You’re hammered drunk. You can barely speak, you can barely stand up.”
Murray indicated he had been drinking at a bar in Taylor. He was seen wearing a shirt with an explicit word on it.
Murray has previously worked in the fire departments in Inkster and West Bloomfield, the Dearborn Press and Guide reported last year on the 10th anniversary of him becoming fire chief.