Lieutenant Installed Hidden Camera To Secretly Watch Female Firefighter Get Naked

The City of Denver on May 24 has agreed to pay a local female firefighter $100,000 in settlement as part of a civil action lawsuit filed against the city and a male colleague from the Denver Fire Department (DFD).

Former DFD Lieutenant Daniel Flesner was convicted of criminal invasion of privacy and attempting to commit tampering with physical evidence in October 2020 and sentenced to two years probation.

It comes after a female complainant, a fire department technician, came forward to police and reported that she was "in complete panic" when she found a hidden camera planted by Flesner in her firehouse bedroom in 2019, reported CBS4.

According to the victim, who cannot be named due to legal protection, she located the camera after hearing a delayed echo of her voice. The hidden and motion-activated camera, which recorded her changing her clothes, was reportedly disguised as a phone charger, plugged into an outlet.

She reported the incident to her supervisors and handed them the device, which was later given to Flesner. The man then allegedly grabbed a push pin from a nearby corkboard and started jamming it into the camera in panic.

The suspect later told fire department officials that he installed the camera as a joke. The Denver Post noted that the complainant was the only female firefighter working at the station at the time.

According to court documents, one of the firefighters using the same bedroom as the woman had noticed the device about four months earlier but assumed it belonged to his roommates and it meant no harm.

As part of his sentence, the judge ordered Flesner to complete moral reconation therapy and a mental health screening, warning that the man could spend time in prison if he violates any conditions.

In response to the incident, DFD has since amended its policies and required additional sexual harassment training for its members, according to Denverite.

The department has also moved to ensure a member of the Internal Affairs Bureau will always be available to respond to employee complaints of sexual harassment and discrimination, according to Kelli Christensen, a spokesperson for the safety department.

“DFD leadership has agreed to take several steps to ensure female firefighters feel safe and respected and that individuals like Lt. Flesner are held accountable for any harm they may cause,” she continued.

Christensen noted that the victim is still with DFD. Meanwhile, Flesner had resigned from the department shortly after the complaint was lodged to the court.

His camp has maintained that their arguments to determine that the female firefighter had a financial motivation from her complaint was quashed from the jurors’ consideration during the trial.

The woman's attorneys and the district attorney ultimately kept the jury from hearing the evidence, Flesner's attorney asserted in a statement.

"Flesner had no sexual intention or motive in his actions. He apologized for his misbehavior. He loved his job, he cherished his fellow fire persons, and reiterates his work as a firefighter was never motivated by money but rather public service," he continued.