An investigation into the Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD) has been recommended by the Davidson County Grand Jury following testimonies from numerous employees which collectively allege systemic misconduct within the department.
The grand jury, in a 13-page quarterly report released last week, said it heard testimonies and read whistleblower complaints from MNPD employees that allege the department operates within a “culture of racism, sexism, and internal misconduct” and also practices “favoritism and corruption.”
Among other recommendations involving department policy surrounding sexual harassment and assault and its Sergeants Exam, the grand jury writes in the report that its findings “warrant the District Attorney appointing a Special Prosecutor to do a thorough investigation into all the allegations of misconduct within the police department.”
“We feel that there is evidence of criminal and civil violations which should be meticulously investigated. We heard from several former MNPD Employees that there are varying kinds of harassment within the Department. Some officers feel that they cannot voice their issues due to being retaliated against or their complaint not being investigated. Most of the complaints were against higher level officers in the Department,” the grand jury said.
The report said its review into complaints surrounding MNPD began after a 61-page whistleblower complaint was filed by former Nashville lieutenant Garet Davidson last year which alleged years of misconduct in the department.
Last week, it was reported that the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) raided the law firm hired to investigate Davidson’s complaints regarding MNPD.
The grand jury said the lack of updates surrounding Davidson’s allegations led them to further review complaints into the department.
“Even though the mayor hired an independent investigator to look into those allegations (after community pressure to do so), the public has not heard anything about the status or outcome of that investigation. Therefore, we felt it was incumbent upon us as a grand jury to look into these allegations to see if there was merit,” the grand jury said.
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Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Follow Kaitlin on X / Twitter.
Photo “Nashville Police” by MNPD.
