Metro Nashville hires former U.S. attorney to investigate police oversight complaint

The city is launching an independent investigation into the Metro Nashville Police Department following a complaint filed by a retired police lieutenant that raised explosive allegations against it, alleging a culture of mismanagement, failure to investigate misconduct and a general lack of transparency.

The complaint against the MNPD was filed May 22 by Garet Davidson, 37, who joined the department in 2011. Davidson retired earlier this year after serving two years in the department’s Office of Professional Accountability, the internal affairs division.

Late Wednesday, The Tennessean obtained a copy of Davidson’s full 61-page report, which detailed allegations of misconduct by some of the department’s senior officials. The department has since released a redacted version.

Mayor Freddie O’Connell said in a statement Friday that the city would conduct an independent investigation into the allegations led by former U.S. Attorney Edward L. Stanton III of the Memphis law firm Butler Snow.

“Because these are allegations that are unproven at this time, I, Police Chief John Drake, Civilian Review Board Director Jill Fitcheard and Department of Justice Director Wally Dietz have a strong interest in ensuring the integrity of the investigation,” the mayor said.

In a statement, Metro Police Chief John Drake said the department had reviewed the complaint and would conduct its own investigation.

“If this happens, we will review whether our administrative processes for internal investigations and disciplinary action need to be improved,” he said. “A regular review of practices and procedures in a large police department such as ours is beneficial to the organization.”

The complaint was first mentioned at a special meeting of the Nashville Community Review Board last week after board members received a copy.

Board members reacted with alarm to Davidson’s allegations that two high-ranking police officials worked behind the scenes with state lawmakers to pass a bill in 2023 that would abolish municipal police oversight boards in Tennessee.

In his complaint, Davidson said an assistant chief was even presented with a “small, laser-engraved, crystal-like award” for his efforts in the department.

The explosive allegations come as the Community Review Board, created after the state law was passed, is working on a memorandum of understanding with the police department to resume investigations into officer misconduct under the new law.

But members said last week that their trust had been broken and called for a federal investigation.

“No citizen would say, ‘Go ahead and negotiate with someone you don’t trust,'” board member Mark Wynn, a former police officer, said at the meeting.

Further allegations in the report include:

Rank-related investigations and bad decisions

Davidson said the department has repeatedly used rank-based investigations that have resulted in more favorable outcomes for senior personnel.

Davidson said senior officers accused of misconduct are often allowed to resign rather than face disciplinary action, citing the case of a former deputy chief who was allowed to resign “without taking responsibility” for an alleged aggressive altercation with a drill sergeant.

Davidson said the department also failed to implement a zero-tolerance policy regarding harassment and discrimination against employees.

In one example, he said a lieutenant regularly treated female employees differently and allegedly “touched” them. A female instructor was seriously injured after the lieutenant “carelessly moved academy equipment.” She later said she felt “ignored and invisible” after the incident.

The lieutenant was not demoted, but was later given a position where he was not subordinate to anyone.

Mismanagement of the Covenant School leak

In his report, Davidson also accuses a deputy police chief of mishandling the internal investigation into leaked photos from the diary of the Covenant School assassin.

The department initially assigned seven officers to administrative duties during the investigation, but was ultimately unable to determine who had leaked the images. In total, ten officers were removed from their positions in the specialized investigation unit.

According to Davidson, an assistant chief oversaw the investigation to find the informant, encouraging a rushed approach that jeopardized the investigation. Ultimately, the investigation found that the officers removed from their posts had nothing to do with the informant, but they were transferred anyway, Davidson said, making the public feel guilty where there was none.

See how the “sausage was made”

Davidson said in a podcast that he resigned from his job earlier this year and filed the complaint because he believed it was the right thing to do, even if it meant less financial stability.

He is now a writer and has published his first fantasy novel.

“There are moments in our lives when we have to decide what is right,” he said in the podcast. “I have to be able to live with myself.”

Davidson said his leadership role in the office responsible for overseeing allegations of police misconduct gave him insight into the “sausage making” process, and it was often “not pretty.”

He wondered if the department was protecting itself rather than the public.

“It became increasingly clear to me that the department was protecting itself and that it was often just certain people within the department – leadership protecting leadership … and that’s not fair,” he said. “The MNPD did so many things right, but there was still too much wrong.”

Criag Shoup contributed to this report

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