State Police Dissolve Protective Unit at US Embassy After Officers Allegedly Drank on Duty

Berlin's Landeskriminalamt (LKA) dissolved the protective security unit assigned to Alan Metzer, Charge d'Affaires and currently the most senior US diplomat in Germany, after allegations emerged that officers consumed alcohol while on duty at the embassy. Colleagues reported the conduct to authorities, triggering an official investigation and disciplinary proceedings. According to Tagesspiegel, Metzer allegedly took part in the drinking sessions himself and may even have encouraged the officers. The US Embassy declined to comment. The incident marks the second time in roughly a year that the LKA has had to disband a personal-protection unit: a previous unit was dissolved after officers provided off-duty private security for rapper Bushido and accepted gifts from him. The affair raises questions about oversight of VIP protection details and the conduct of diplomatic principals in Berlin.