Fire Law Blog Fire Service and Public Safety Legal Issues Blog by Curt Varone
A fire lieutenant in Denver has resigned and is facing criminal charges following allegations that he placed a hidden camera in a female firefighter’s room, and then tried to destroy evidence once the camera was discovered.
Daniel Flesner, 47, is facing felony charges related to his placing of a hidden camera in the dorm room of one of his subordinates. The charges are invasion of privacy for sexual gratification, and tampering with physical evidence. Denver Channel 7 is also reporting that Flesner is facing a third charge, being a fugitive from justice.
The camera was reportedly discovered on March 30, and reported initially to Flesner. The victim reported that the device was aimed at where she usually changed cloths. Flesner took possession of the camera and was able to destroy some but not all of the imagery on the memory card. According to Flesner, the camera was intended as a gag.
Dave Statter has a lot more on this one.
From my perspective, if these allegations sound familiar, its because Flesner is not the first firefighter to pull this kind of a stunt. Recall a strikingly similar incident occurred in Los Alamos, New Mexico in 2010 involving a captain who similarly took possession of the camera and tampered with evidence. The victim was later retaliated against by friends of the captain, resulting in a $850,000 settlement.
Here are some others:
- New Waverly, Texas in 2012;
- Cornwall County in the UK in 2012;
- Bristol Township, OH in 2012;
- Currituck County, North Carolina in 2013;
- Kent Fire and Rescue Services in the UK in 2013
- Gaston, NC in 2016
- Austin, TX in 2017
If anyone is aware of others, please let me know and I will add them to the database.
