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Austin Firefighter Suspended For Buying Alcohol In Uniform


An Austin firefighter has been suspended without pay for buying liquor while still wearing a uniform,

According to the suspension memo, last November, a passerby saw Lieutenant William Sawers in uniform parking in front of a liquor store with a City of Austin vehicle that was marked "Austin Fire Department." That person took photos of him stand in line with a bottle of vodka and wrote down the license plate number of the vehicle.

When confronted by AFD officials, Sawers admitted to being at the liquor store, but said he was off duty at the time, according to the memo.

Investigators found out that Sawers left the liquor store and parked the marked car at a nearby apartment complex for the night instead of a secured city parking lot, which is department policy.

Sawers was suspended for 15 days without pay for bringing discredit to himself and the Austin Fire Department, according to the memo.