The Shelby County Sheriff’s Office (SCSO) on Saturday announced that the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) will review the actions of its deputies who were confronted by General Sessions Clerk Tami Sawyer after barring an armed individual, later identified by Sawyer as her private security, from entering the county courthouse.
The decision to refer the incident to TBI was announced in a Saturday press release by SCSO, which stated that while its own investigation showed the deputies, “acted professionally and consistent with their training and SCSO policies,” Shelby County District Attorney Steve Mulroy made the decision to turn over the matter to TBI for additional investigation.
SCSO described the interaction between Sawyer and its deputies as an “incident” that involved, “the General Sessions Clerk and a personal security guard armed with a firearm.”
Body-worn camera video of the incident, released and posted to social media on October 9, prompted State Senator Brent Taylor (R-Memphis) to describe Sawyer’s behavior as a “disgraceful meltdown,” and accuse the county official of “screaming racial epithets at law enforcement,” in a post to X.
BREAKING: DISGRACEFUL MELTDOWN BY CLERK TAMI SAWYER—SCREAMING RACIAL EPITHETS AT LAW ENFORCEMENT WHO WERE JUST DOING THEIR JOBS. How can someone like this run a court?!
After General Sessions Court Clerk Tami Sawyer allegedly attempted to facilitate getting a firearm into the… pic.twitter.com/l6NrJkh54K
— Senator Brent Taylor (@SenBrentTaylor) October 9, 2025
Taylor on Sunday wrote in another post to X that TBI was the proper authority to investigate the case, and commended the decision by Mulroy to refer the matter to the state agency.
“In my discussions with other District Attorneys they’ve indicated that if the allegations are true, she likely violated Tennessee’s Official Misconduct statute (TCA § 39-16-402) by encouraging someone to break the law for her benefit,” he wrote, before noting that Sawyer appeared to urge her security guard to enter a “gun-free zone” while armed.
The law referenced by Taylor specifically includes acts which are committed, “under color of office or employment that exceeds the public servant’s official power,” which would appear to make elected officials liable for actions they urge employees to take that violate the statute.
“This could constitute a violation if she encouraged such illegal activity for her benefit. In this case the benefit is for own personal protection,” wrote Taylor.
The Republican Party of Shelby County, which previously called for Sawyer’s resignation, similarly expressed its approval for the involvement of TBI.
“We applaud the TBI for investigating the allegations against Tirade Tami, including her reported efforts to sneak guns past Sheriff’s deputies and her racist outburst when confronted,” wrote the party in a post to X. “This step underscores the importance of accountability and integrity for public officials.”
🚨We applaud the TBI for investigating the allegations against Tirade Tami, including her reported efforts to sneak guns past Sheriff's deputies and her racist outburst when confronted. This step underscores the importance of accountability and integrity for public officials. pic.twitter.com/BOB5crg39l
— Shelby County GOP (@GOPShelby) October 18, 2025
The clerk previously defended her actions as those of a “Memphis girl” with “passion,” though a post to her Instagram has since revealed she was “forced” to “take a social media break” by her team.
Sawyer was elected last year. Her eight-year term will expire in September 2032.
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Tom Pappert is the lead reporter for The Tennessee Star, and also reports for The Pennsylvania Daily Star and The Arizona Sun Times. Follow Tom on X/Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Exemplary behavior by one who serves the public. Her behavior appears to be a product of the democrats constant drum beating about people of color being oppressed and deserving of whatever they wish.