Commander of special ops demoted following celebrity escort revelations

Commander Hilton Burton, the head of D.C. police’s special ops division was demoted Monday after Assistant Chief Alfred Durham informed him at a meeting that the department had lost faith in his ability to lead. According to the department, Burton has been demoted to captain and transferred from special ops to the medical division.

The demotion comes two months after Burton testified at a D.C. Council hearing regarding police escorts for celebrities. Burton stated that special ops routinely escorts celebrities, a custom that police Chief Cathy Lanier never approved.