Excerpts from the DailyHerald.com:
A shocking case involving Elgin Fire Department personnel has come to light, revealing that a lieutenant and two other firefighters were disciplined after an internal investigation found they had taken explicit photos and videos of themselves while on duty and shared them among each other. The city confirmed the details, which were obtained through a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request.
Lt. Amanda Bruce was demoted to the rank of firefighter, while firefighters John Sardina and Eric McMahon lost their special roles as driver and mechanic, respectively. These disciplinary actions were part of agreements made between the employees, the International Association of Firefighters Local 439, and the city of Elgin, as revealed in documents obtained by the Daily Herald.
All three received 20-day suspensions, and the city reserves the right to terminate them if similar misconduct occurs within the next three years, according to the agreements.
According to a February 17 investigative report by the city’s professional standards officer—also released via FOIA—Bruce and Sardina took sexually explicit photos and videos of themselves while on duty at Elgin fire stations. McMahon, meanwhile, took self-portraits with explicit content. All materials show the firefighters alone.
Sardina and McMahon sent their images to Bruce, who then shared hers with Sardina and an unnamed boyfriend. The photos and videos date back to 2009 through 2013, according to the report.
Fire Chief John Fahy stated that all three individuals have fully admitted to their actions. “They never denied it and wanted to make amends for what happened on duty a few years ago,†he said.
The Daily Herald submitted its FOIA request on March 10, and city officials initially asked for a five-day extension, which was set to expire on Thursday. However, the timing of the disciplinary agreement had nothing to do with the FOIA request, Fahy clarified.
“This was already in the works,†he explained. “The extension was necessary to ensure we could release a complete package, as we were in negotiations with the employees and coming to a final decision on the discipline.â€
The materials include videos of Bruce in a fire station women’s bathroom and photos of her in various states of undress. According to the report, she admitted to taking the photos and videos while on duty using her personal cellphone and sending them via her personal email.
Sardina’s photos include images taken in fire station bathrooms, and one video shows him in his bunk. In a photo, he is seen stepping out of a shower with a towel around his waist, and Bruce told officials she took that image. McMahon’s selfies also include photos taken in fire station bathrooms.
The issue first came to light nearly two years ago when Elgin Fire Battalion Chief Terrence Bruce reported to an assistant chief that his then-wife, Amanda, had engaged in misconduct with Sardina and McMahon. However, the city later decided not to compel Terry Bruce to provide evidence and returned the materials to him, according to City Manager Sean Stegall.
The city eventually obtained the evidence months later when Amanda Bruce reported to Elgin police that her then-husband had accessed unauthorized and possibly illegal personal information, including videos and photos. She filed a police report in October 2014, stating that Terry Bruce had given the materials to an attorney who served as a guardian ad litem for their children during divorce proceedings.
Elgin police obtained a copy of the materials from the attorney and launched a criminal investigation, which concluded in April 2015. The Kane County state’s attorney’s office ultimately decided not to pursue criminal charges.
An administrative investigation followed in May 2015 to determine whether the misconduct occurred while on duty. This process involved hiring a company to extract time and date stamps from the media and cross-checking them with staffing records, Fahy said. “We weren’t in a rush. We wanted to get this right.â€
Fahy initially considered firing the three employees for their on-duty misconduct but changed his mind.
“These are three good employees with strong records, and they had a bad day,†he said. “I believe the decision to discipline them rather than terminate them was the right one.â€
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