Facebook
Fark
Digg
Reddit
Stumble
Wednesday, June 15, 2011 | 5:36 p.m.
Unlike Rep. Anthony Weiner, a Nevada Highway Patrol sergeant in Las Vegas didn’t get a second chance after he was caught “sexting” on the job.
Now, a court fight is looming over the firing of the officer, who was terminated for conduct including sexting with a co-worker while on duty in an NHP office.
Kenneth Twiddy was fired effective Feb. 8 after three female NHP personnel accused him of sexual harassment or of being discourteous toward them.
Among the allegations were that he was “viewing or distributing pornographic material at the premises of the workplace” and participated in “sexual conduct on the premises of the workplace.”
Records in Twiddy’s firing show it was related mainly to consensual “sexting” between him and a female dispatcher who was subordinate to him, but was not under his direct command.
Investigators said that on several occasions in 2008 and 2009, he used a cellphone to send a number of texts containing sexual references and/or photos to the dispatcher.
“Several of these text messages included photographs of Twiddy’s naked and erect penis, taken by him on the camera in his cellphone, and taken in and transmitted from Twiddy’s workplace, a restroom in the NHP Southern Command headquarters, all while Twiddy was on duty,” a state hearing officer wrote in a report on Twiddy’s firing.
The dispatcher reciprocated with cellphone photos of “her own naked private parts” — but later filed a sexual harassment claim against Twiddy, records show.
Nevada Highway Patrol officials declined to comment on the case this week, saying it was a personnel issue. But someone familiar with the incidents told the Las Vegas Sun and its sister publication VEGAS INC that the dispatcher’s participation occurred while she was off duty and that she wasn’t fired.
State records show Twiddy, who joined the Highway Patrol as a cadet in 1997, had an exemplary record until October 2009.
That’s when investigations began into the allegations of sexting with the dispatcher, that he was rude to a female officer and that a second female officer was sexually harassed when Twiddy told an employee that this officer “was engaging in sexual congress with several other members of the department.”
“Twiddy admits the conversation and its content, but contends that he was divulging the information ‘for the good’ ” of this second female officer, the record in the case says.
As for his exemplary record before the complaints in 2009, hearing officer Richard Reed wrote in his decision that this record is not strong enough “to erase the image of an NHP sergeant going into a restroom at his workplace, arousing himself, taking pictures of his erect penis with his cellphone camera and transmitting them to a female employee of the NHP who was a subordinate, or at least of inferior rank.”
A Las Vegas attorney for Twiddy, Adam Levine, said Wednesday he plans to file in court a petition for judicial review of the hearing officer’s decision upholding Twiddy’s firing.
He said the hearing officer in his ruling failed to point out that Twiddy’s conduct occurred while Twiddy was on lunch break — although he acknowledged NHP officers on lunch break are technically on duty.
“It did not involve a state computer or a state phone,” Levine said.
Levine stressed the sexting was consensual and it only became an employment issue after Twiddy and the dispatcher had a falling out.
“She sent photos of herself and asked him to respond,” Levine said.
Poor judgement by any teacher, policeman, fireman, polititian, medical personnel, or any other occupation "in the public trust" should be dealt with severly. I say fire the guy. They don't have to be perfect (none of us are) but I want police officers who use good judgement 24/7.
Maybe not the smartest thing to do, but I just don't see an offense that warrants being fired over.
"boftx" I see the offense clearly... he was on duty at the time... and should have been patrolling the highways making them safer for all..... not sexting while earning a living with taxpayers dollars paying the bill.
Be kind a like a pilot flying an aircraft into a mountain because he was Sexting when he should a been flying the plane... but guess that would be okay with you huh?
I say fire the man. If he was caught once, how many times has he done it while on Duty and not been caught?
Sounds to me like he was taking pictures of himself while on duty, and sending them to another worker on duty.
boftx...if he can't keep it in his pants while on a shift, then that warrants being fired.
Come on... it wasn't a big thang... it was a little thang. LOL
Listening to that lower brain all mammals have will get a guy in trouble.
I didn't say he shouldn't be disciplined, but the facts as reported in the story don't rise to the standard for termination, in my opinion.
It sounds like this guy is a desk jockey, so I view it differently than if he was a patrol officer. I also have a hard time giving much credence to the "harassment" angle.
If he was on patrol and using his badge to obtain sexual favors (or if he were a member of Metro) I might not be so lenient.
Perhaps the legislature should rethink then repeal the cop exemption in that new anti-cell phone law. After all, they should be held to a higher standard than the rest of us, not lower.
"I'm never too busy that I can't stop to enjoy someone else's suffering." -- the late George Carlin in "White Guys Who Shave Their Heads"
""the image of an NHP sergeant going into a restroom at his workplace, arousing himself, taking pictures of his erect penis with his cellphone camera and transmitting them to a female employee""
"Image is everything" -- Andre Agassi
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eMHH_AGCv...
: {
And we all thought the dumb asses were in the United States Congress. These government workers should be fired for being stupid not to mention the violation of the NV Adminstrative code, several NRSs and I'am sure many DPS and State written policys !
I'd hate to get pulled over by this jerk(er)...
People need to remember that in the workplace, becoming "overly friendly" with a co-worker, and using anything that could be construed as harassment of ANY KIND should be avoided like the plague.
People can be "friends" one day, have a tiff and be enemies the next, and this is why harassment claims are filed ALL THE TIME. What seems innocent enough to both parties on Monday turns into a harassment claim by Friday.... or next week, or next month; people will "remember" all KINDS of things when they're looking to file a claim.
This guy had a great record and one mistake should not ruin a career...falling out between them? Did she get mad at him and decide to get back at him? I know many law enforcement in this city and this state who do the same thing on a daily basis as well as people not in government..its easy to throw a stone at someone especially to deflect from ones own behavior. Remember we had a president who did much worse and he kept his job.. People love to point fingers without even knowing the whole truth..
Business as usual out at NHP, at least he didn't kill anyone with his vehicle.
listen up...the dispatcher who started this claim of "consentual" sexual harrasment has not been terminated...however, she is apparently on administrative leave for lying about her part in this case when the officer told the truth when asked what happened. According to the source, she is the one who started the texting and sending pictures as many on the department have apparently sent the same type of pictures.....what happened to telling the truth, being disciplined (not terminated) and moving on? I think that the wrong person here is being raked over the coals.
If the media is going to "report" something and "tell it all" why don't they do just that....TELL IT ALL....
Interesting that a coworker would send a picture of her genitals, then accuse him of harassment.
This article is hilarious! Anytime you can read "erect penis" in the news it's pretty funny. And, to see the article is about Ken Twiddy is even better as he is one of the biggest cancers the NHP has seen in years. Always treated others like garbage and would always try to put himself on a pedestal. Well Ken, congratulations! You're getting the EXPOSURE and attention you always desired.
@ boftx.."the facts as reported in the story don't rise to the standard for termination."
By all means tell me the company that wouldn't fire a supervisor for "going into a restroom at his workplace, arousing himself, taking pictures of his erect penis with his cellphone camera and transmitting them to a female employee."
Bravo for the NHP for demanding excellence, accountability and integrity from its officers. Doug Gillespie and the rest of Metro could learn a lesson from this.
Maybe he should be fired cause he's just stupid?
At NHP headquarters,runs in the bathroom.......
Wait; WHAT??
Just stupid.
@skullmate..." I know many law enforcement in this city and this state who do the same thing on a daily basis."
That is the saddest, most pathetic thing I ever heard. If a cop can't exercise sound judgment when it comes to his "gun," then he sure as heck can't be trusted to exercise sound judgement when it comes to his weapon.
Please compile a list of all the miscreants of whom you speak and submit it to the proper people asap so they can be dealt with as well.
Comes to show you that we all have blood running through our veins, but some of us use our brains first. LOL
If this man is doing this, there is no telling what else he's doing. The pervert.
The dispatcher reciprocated with cellphone photos of "her own naked private parts" -- but later filed a sexual harassment claim against Twiddy, records show.
She needs to be disciplined or fired also. Fair is fair.
I agree with gmag39 and orca17.
Fire both of them. If they're conducting themselves like this during work-out the door they both go.
Consensual = 30 day suspension
Not consensual, or if he lied about it = Termination
Next case.
what's even more hilarious is a blogger talking about an "erect penis" and goes by a user name of tripod lol
I would like to see the photo of the naked body parts that she sent him. Only then could I determine whether she should be disciplined or fired or promoted. Fair is fair and primo is worthy promotion.
But I do see the wisdom of whacking on Jill for her sins just as we whack on Jack for his.
@bghs1986....you really need to live in the "real" world. Trust me cops are no different than any other hard worker out there. Do they send pictures to each other..yes, do they cheat on their spouses..yes....do they put their LIFE on the line every shift and work hard to keep YOU safe...YES
Don't confuse a mistake in personal judgement and think that they should all be perfect, they are human and sometimes slip...if you want to crucify every cop who periodically makes a mistake with their own life there would be a great shortage of cops who 99% of the time do the right thing and who work hard to uphold the law and keep sanity on the streets and the roadways.
skullmate... "I know many law enforcement in this city and this state who do the same thing on a daily basis"
That was your quote, and if that is true that is pathetic.
Taking out his genitals, taking a picture, and sending them to a co-worker is completely inappropriate behavior, particularly for those that are public servants hired to protect and serve.
If you see no problem with that,then you are part of the problem.
i've seen way worse happen in private sector (casino, front desk etc...) Was it innapropriate? Absolutely. Punishment warranted? Yes, but not getting fired. I could understand if it were on company phone etc.. but it's like this some public sector positions get 30 minute UNPAID lunch, so if i go home and have a nooner with my wife in my home, should i get fired for not doing my public duties while im at lunch? People at work go on their facebook, waste time talking at the water cooler but when they see any public employee talking or taking a break it's like the end of the world. So again, he should be written up etc.. but fired? No way.
@skullmate.....I could not possibly care less what two consenting adults do on their own time, but when a supervisor sexually harasses a subordinate that is against the law. And I no tolerance for people breaking the law on my time. Color me crazy, buy at the very least, I expect cops not to break the law.
But as far as, "do they put their LIFE on the line every shift and work hard to keep YOU safe...YES" I am so tired of cops using that same old tired mantra to excuse their vile behavior. It would be one thing if it were true, but the facts prove that the lives of garbage collectors, fishermen, iron workers and electricians are all at greater risk on any given shift than that of a cop.
Exactly how hard are they working and how much jeopardy are the "many law enforcement in this city and this state who" are swapping penis photos really in? The exposing of one's genitals implies a feeling of security, not vulnerability.
"if you want to crucify every cop who periodically makes a mistake with their own life there would be a great shortage of cops who 99% of the time do the right thing." Last time I checked there is a vast, vast difference between losing one's job and Crucifixion. If we start nailing bad cops to a cross on Fremont Street then we can talk.
You need to join the real world and realize that cops are just as likely to commit a criminal act as the general public. And losing unprofessional, dishonest or criminal officers is no loss at all.
How embarrassing! Would they put him back at the same office or department that he was at before, if he gets his job back? This is a tuff call on to fire him, or give a very stiff punishment so that it would teach others not to do what he did. 12 years on the job and no problems is strong. If he was receiving return texts with similiar texts than I would lean towards punishment short of firing. However, if it was solely him, then termination would be appropriate.
Yeah, I agree. A cop kills a citizen, no problem. A cop swaps dirty pictures with another cop ... that's crossing the line. Sex! How awful! How corrupt. Sex! Yucky.
Maybe he should end up with just a ticket for indecent exposure in a public place. What ever happened to just giving tickets, it pays the government's bills don't it?
He needs to be registered as a sex offender just like any of us would have been if we did the same thing. But of course we know that will never happen...
If The FBI were to track every indecent photo of body parts transmitted electronically, as MG suggests, and all those folks were registered as 'SEX OFFENDERS," then we could all have great jobs tracking the 25,000,000 or so flashers, wienie waggers, titty shots, moons, etc.
Check craigslist in any city any day and you'll find a bunch. Add the cell phone pix, the emailed copies etc and we are a bunch of bungling bozos brandishing our body bulges for baudy bad-boy fun.
Add the European input - from the nude TV advertisements, nude magazine ads, the nude beaches the topless on the Riviera, nudist colonies, etc and we could rid the world of all those sicko perverts showing off their skin.
Hems would lower, neck lines would rise. Hats and burkas would dominate, masks would come back into fashion and public bathrooms would no longer have merely little half walls between the stalls, but would have security guards making 'mirror checks' and unpenetrable walls.
Gosh, think of the great new jobs we could invent to make dang sure nobody ever saw any body. Great idea, this notion of protecting us from seeing ourselves as we are. Excellent thinking from Sin City! Keep up the good work!!
@skullmate - you say you know MANY law enforcement in this city/state who do the same thing DAILY??? Are you fricken kidding me or what? So it would seem that the 'many' you refer to are too busy what, jerk-in-off and then sending photos's of themselves - instead of doing the job the taxpayers pay them to do? U must be joking, right? Say it isn't so...
azsk8fan,
Nah, what cops mostly ever do is pull babes over for BJs on the side of the road, take pix of their members and send them around on their cells.
Dja notice the crime rate in Vegas is gettin awful? One out of 49 citizens is in line to be robbed, murdered or raped this year, and the numbers are getting worse with each new cop they hire. No big deal right, just a bunch of Jack-offs with fast cars, sireeens and cell phones full of photos of their importance (or is it impotence?) to society.
If it makes sense to fire teachers to improve education, then it also makes just as much sense to fire cops to improve safety. "Protect and serve" what? Their 'guns'??
They do this DAILY, according to someone in the know.
If the female was sending pics of her private parts from home, on her own time then she shouldn't get fired HOWEVER if she then lied and tried to claim 'sexual harrassment' then she SHOULD be fired for making false accusations. If she willing sent these photos then I highly doubt she was behing sexually harrassed - and for lying - yes - fire her.
omg I couldn't spell harassment correctly - nor could I spell willingly or being LOL... fire my former teachers too - all of them :)
Anthonyjoevegas - I don't think he'd be embarrassed at all - probably a member of the 'good ole boys club' and they'd all just yuck it up and have a good laugh over it.