A commissioner at the state police headquarters in Stuttgart filmed a stressful Skype conversation with her top superior. The video is now before a court.
Stuttgart – A sexism scandal shakes the state police of Baden-Württemberg *. At the center of the allegations: The highest-ranking officer, Inspector Andreas Renner. Only recently, as part of the “Not with us” values campaign, Renner promoted respectful, non-discriminatory treatment by the police. Every case of sexual harassment is one too many, Renner preached. There is now concrete evidence against him that indicates an abuse of power against a colleague who is clearly under his authority. In a Skype conversation recorded by the employee, Renner apparently asked for a promotion – but not without consideration.
The Skype conversation, which is now available as a recording in court, apparently took place a few days after Renner and his colleagues had a boozy evening. At the end of the week, he and several employees at the Ministry of the Interior in Stuttgart * had a drink, after which some of them moved on to a restaurant. This is reported by the Stuttgarter Zeitung . In the end, only Renner and the significantly younger chief inspector were left. Alcohol flowed, they got closer, they say. After the two of them had made a detour to a Cannstatt pub, they would have shared a taxi.
Relationship versus promotion – “and how one can promote the other”
What exactly happened between Renner and the employee is not known. However, he called her again via Skype a short time after the pub evening and expressed interest in the continuation of the relationship. In the same breath he spoke according to the Stuttgarter Zeitung about the upcoming promotion of the colleague – and allegedly also about how “one could promote the other”. With presence of mind, the Commissioner secretly recorded the conversation.
The Commissioner has now reported the incident. The video recordings are now the subject of a preliminary investigation. It is questionable whether the Commissioner’s actions were lawful. Such recordings are usually difficult to use in court. However, the content of the conversation was obviously so heavy that there was no avoiding Inspector Renner’s suspension. In the meantime, the Stuttgart public prosecutor’s office is investigating together with the Heidelberg Criminal Police – of course, they have refrained from working with the Stuttgart Criminal Police *.
State police headquarters are facing a “huge pile of broken glass” – the case shakes the police
The news shocked many police officers. “In the state police headquarters you see yourself in front of a huge pile of broken glass,” insiders told the Rhein-Neckar-Zeitung . Police chief Stefanie Hinz, who is considered a close confidante of Renner, was also seriously shaken. For her, the incident was “serious and also for me personally seriously disappointing,” she wrote in a letter. Clarification is now important to her, and other, possibly affected, should now get in touch, she appeals.
About a year ago, at the inauguration of Andreas Renner, Interior Minister Thomas Strobl (CDU) described him as “ideally suited for this outstanding position.” ever had. A week ago, when the incidents were announced, the Home Office refused to reveal who the accused was. There was also talk of a “leading policeman in the Baden-Württemberg police force”. For Renner there is a presumption of innocence, but the allegations are immensely politically explosive. Strobl also found it difficult to explain because he was clearly in favor of Renner at the time. * BW24 is an offer from IPPEN.MEDIA.
