Police Chief of Baden-Württemberg on Trial for Sexual Assault and Abuse of Power

Andreas Renner was state police inspector from 2020 and thus the highest-ranking police officer in the German state of Baden-Württemberg. All police officers reported to him – and he had the last word on promotions. So it happened that on November 12, 2021, Renner went on a pub crawl with a 34-year-old chief inspector who had applied for the higher police service, which was supposed to have legal consequences for him and brought him a court date for next Friday. This is reported, among other things, by the “Bild” newspaper, which has the indictment.

After a glass or two of champagne at the Ministry of the Interior in Stuttgart, Renner and his colleagues are said to have gone to the Kraftpaule bar and then moved on to the The Corner bar for two. There, according to the prosecution, they kissed, as can also be seen in the pictures from a surveillance camera. Uninhibited by alcohol, Renner then revealed to his subordinates that he liked to watch women urinate.

Finally, the two left the bar at around three in the morning. Renner then started to pee on a nearby street – and the policewoman’s hand is said to have landed on his “moderately erect” penis. It is unclear how she got there: According to “Bild”, Renner said she reached for him, the woman put it on record that he had put her hand there.

The next day, Ms. Renner called via video call and recorded the conversation. The chief of police then told her in no uncertain terms that he could help her professionally, but only if she kept in touch with him privately. In German: career against sex. The woman reported this to her superiors on November 18, whereupon Renner was suspended.

Now the married family man Renner has to appear in court because of the incidents on Friday. The allegation is sexual assault. In addition, Renner deliberately exploited his position of power – at that time, according to “Spiegel”, he was also a key member of the assessment committee that decides on such personnel issues. The presumption of innocence applies to him, his lawyer wants to plead for acquittal. However, Renner, whose career had previously been remarkably steep, is said to have already sent “Dick Pics”.

In the course of the affair, the Baden-Württemberg Interior Minister Thomas Strobl (CDU) was also targeted by the judiciary because he passed on a letter from Renner’s lawyer to a journalist. A procedure was set against a fine of 15,000 euros. The then chief inspector was also investigated for the illegal telephone recording, but the proceedings were discontinued.