Binghamton Police Chief Joseph Zikuski was placed on administrative leave after his girlfriend was involved in an altercation with two teenagers. Mayor Jared Kraham announced last Sunday that Assistant Chief John C. Ryan will serve as acting police chief.

A video, taken last Friday, reportedly showed Susan Rice, 44, approach two teenage males on the front porch of a home in Johnson City. In the video, she argued with the group, saying phrases like “We are the police,” despite not working for law enforcement. She also made inflammatory comments to the teenagers and asked, “What do you do, Section 8?”

Rice then walked onto the porch and punched both teenagers. The younger, 16-year-old boy then struck Rice in the face, causing her to fall to the ground. Zikuski, who was off duty, then helped Rice stand and leave the scene. She later received medical treatment, while neither teenager was hurt.

“The female in the video is a private citizen — not employed by the City of Binghamton nor affiliated with the City in any official capacity,” Kraham said in a July 20 statement. “Still, I’m troubled by her language and the implication that she is in any way above the law because of a personal association with a member of law enforcement.”

Johnson City police later arrested and charged Rice with trespass, harassment and endangering the welfare of a child.

On Wednesday, Kraham announced in a press release that the city of Binghamton hired attorney Karl Sleight to conduct an “independent third-party investigation” of the incident to “determine if any violations of police department policy or misconduct occurred.” Sleight served as executive director of the New York State Ethics Commission from 2001 to 2007. Before assuming that role, he was the state’s deputy inspector general, leading investigations into fraud and misconduct in the government.

Zikuski has been police chief since 2008. He was placed on administrative leave in 2015 for over three months after sexual harassment allegations.

Rice, a nurse, was “immediately placed on leave” from her job at the Greater Binghamton Health Center, according to a statement sent to Fox 40 by her employer. The center is operated by the Office of Mental Health, which manages other psychiatric facilities statewide.

“OMH has a zero-tolerance policy for violence, and we expect our employees to conduct themselves in public in a manner that doesn’t negatively reflect on our agency,” the statement read.

A report is expected to be publicly released once the investigation is completed.