Camera Found in Women's Locker Room at IN Station

Oct. 27—SOUTH BEND, IN — St. Joseph County prosecutors are currently reviewing the findings of an investigation into a hidden recording device that was found in a locker room used by female firefighters at a South Bend fire station in June.

Detectives with Indiana State Police concluded their investigation earlier this month and have forwarded their report to the prosecutor's office. St. Joseph County Prosecutor Ken Cotter said he met with the female firefighters last week and is reviewing information gathered by ISP before making a decision on whether to file criminal charges.

The hidden camera was found about two months after South Bend Fire Department's 12 female members sent a letter to the fire chief and mayor's office demanding city leaders address what they say is a longstanding culture of sexual harassment and discrimination within the fire department.

St. Joseph County's Special Victims Unit first learned on June 1 that a "potential recording device" had been found in a locker room at a South Bend fire station. Because some South Bend police officers are assigned to the SVU, the prosecutor's office asked state police to investigate the incident to "avoid the appearance of impropriety."

Officials have not named the station where the device was found. The investigation was briefly delayed in September when police waited on subpoenaed results from an internet service provider.

The incident with the hidden camera comes on the heels of allegations made by female members of the force of sexual harassment and discrimination within the fire department. In April, all 12 female firefighters wrote a letter to the mayor's office, South Bend Fire Chief Carl Buchanon and the Board of Public Safety expressing anger that a South Bend fire captain was given a "slap on the wrist" after he allegedly verbally harassed and hit a female firefighter on the head in December at Station 8 in Twyckenham Hills. She said he also blocked her from leaving the confrontation.

"You have failed us," the letter stated. "The fire department administration, the city, and the Board of Public Safety have failed the women of the South Bend Fire Department. We come to work expecting a workplace free of harassment and violence, yet when it occurs it is treated like a slap on the wrist, even when the accused captain freely admits to the actions ... and this was his third offense!"

The captain received 24 hours of unpaid leave on Buchanon's recommendation, according to Board of Public Safety records. The records make no mention of physical contact or blocking the firefighter's escape.

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