Richmond firefighters, police cooperate in theft investigation

Cooperation among Richmond's badge-wearing public servants was on full display yesterday in Church Hill.

William E. Hill, 52, of Richmond, was charged with breaking and entering and grand larceny for allegedly stealing a cell phone from the city's fire station No. 1.

Richmond police arrested him minutes after the alleged theft -- with a major assist from the station's firefighters.

Firefighters were dispatched shortly before 11:30 a.m., but as they hurriedly drove from the station house at 308 N. 24th St., they noticed that the automatic garage door didn't close.

When they returned a few minutes later, the door was still open, and they saw someone inside the station house stuffing something into one of his pockets, fire Lt. Shawn L. Jones said.

The man ran, and the firefighters quickly realized one of their cell phones was missing, so they drove after him while calling police.

The firefighters directed 1st Precinct officers to Hill, who was arrested about 11:45 a.m.

"Very fortunate. It doesn't always work out that way," Jones said of the interagency cooperation and quick arrest for the station-house theft, a crime he described as a fact of life for firefighters.

"The business that we're in, unfortunately that happens sometimes," he said. "You have to run out on short notice, and sometimes things get left behind."

Contact Joe Macenka at (804) 649-6804 or .