Chief Cathy Lanier’s on the war path. In addition to threatening to fire several police officers involved in a recent incident in Columbia Heights, Lanier has handed Commander Hilton Burton — who sharply criticized Lanier during a Council hearing on the Charlie Sheen police escort fiasco — a demotion.

Burton was the Commander of the department’s Special Operations Division, a post that Lanier had previously occupied before she was promoted to Chief in 2006.

“Based on a review of command decisions, including several critical incidents, and recommendation from Commander Hilton Burton’s supervising Assistant Chief, I took action yesterday to relieve Commander Burton from his command responsibilities and reassign him to other duties,” Lanier said in a statement released to the Examiner.

Burton, whose unit came under fire during an investigation into the provision of dozens of illegal escorts to celebrities and athletes, verbally lashed out at Lanier during a hearing in June, after the Chief had transferred officers out of the unit. “I feel strongly that I cannot stand by and allow this continued distortion of the face and unmitigated attacks on the professional character of the members of (the Special Operations Division),” Burton said then, claiming that Lanier was generally fibbing about the department’s procedures for approving dignitary escorts. Lanier then hit back, stating that Burton was a member of a group of officers and supervisors who “apparently don’t understand general orders.”

Burton will reportedly be transferred out of the Special Operations Division, demoted to captain and reassigned to the medical division.