The Fire Department's highest ranking uniformed officer, Chief of Department James Leonard, is now on desk duty as he is being investigated for "inappropriate behavior."

The Daily News reported earlier this week that while Leonard has had a storied 39-year career, his "abrasive and aggressive manner — and allegations he sometimes uses misogynistic slurs — have put him out of step in a department striving mightily to get into the 21st century."

A Fire Department spokesperson said, "While a review is conducted by the city’s Law Department concerning allegations of inappropriate behavior, Chief James Leonard has been relieved of his duties as Chief of Department effective today and placed on modified assignment."

Leonard has allegedly been "attempting to freeze out the highest-ranking nonuniformed woman at the department, Laura Kavanagh," according to the NY Times. Kavanagh, who formerly worked on Mayor Bill de Blasio's mayoral campaign, is the First Deputy Commissioner. (An FDNY organizational chart [PDF] shows that the Chief of the Department and First Deputy Commissioner oversee the bulk of the department, and report directly to FDNY Commissioner Daniel A. Nigro.)

There are suggestions that Kavanagh was engaged in a "power play," but one senior FDNY officer told the Times that when he tried to correct some of Leonard's information, Leonard became angry and yelled at him. "As a grown man, I’ve never been spoken to that way," the senior officer said.

Another incident cited by the News: Leonard "allegedly publicly upbraided a popular FDNY chaplain — who happens to be a woman and a lesbian — after the Gay Pride Parade in 2015 for an imagined infraction."

Sources used "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" analogies in speaking to both the Times and News. One told the News, "You never know if you’re getting nice Jimmy or his other side — he’s like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde."

The FDNY is trying to diversify its ranks of 11,000 firefighters: Earlier this year, Commissioner Nigro stated that he wanted the department to be made up of more than 50% minority firefighters and 15% female firefighters in two years; it is currently 20% minority and about 1% female.