Church Deploys Retired Police Officers to Search Personnel Files - German Church Hires Ex-Police to Probe Sexual Violence in Personnel Files
Retired Police Officers Review Personnel Files for Evidence of Sexualized Violence on Behalf of Westphalia's Protestant Church
When they find evidence, a formal process is launched.
The Evangelical Church of Westphalia has commissioned retired police officers to examine personnel files for indications of sexualized violence, the church announced in Bielefeld. With this step, the regional church is implementing a recommendation from ForuM, the independent study on sexualized violence within the Protestant Church in Germany (EKD), its regional churches, and the diakonia.
Since February 1, a retired officer has been systematically reviewing files on a freelance basis, according to the statement. A second retired police officer is set to join the effort on March 1. Both bring decades of investigative experience. Initially, the focus will be on the records of employees currently working for the regional church to prevent potential cases of sexualized violence from exceeding the statute of limitations. Afterward, the experts will turn to archived files, including those of former staff.
If the retired officers uncover relevant evidence, the files will be referred to the standard review process handled by the Office for Addressing Violations of Sexual Self-Determination (UVSS), where they will be further investigated. Depending on the severity of the misconduct, measures under church employment or service law may be taken—up to and including termination.
The plan is to review all personnel files held by the regional church office. The church stated that it is currently unclear how long this process will take. Charlotte Nieße, the church's commissioner for addressing violations of sexual self-determination, will report to future regional synods on the progress.
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