Members of the Metro Nashville Community Oversight Board (COB) this week considered a complaint that an alleged drug dealer filed against four Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD) detectives.
The complainant, a female, alleged improper search and seizure. She also said the four detectives threatened her with eviction if she did not consent to the search.
This, after an anonymous person complained to police that the woman was selling drugs out of her home. Detectives at the scene said they detected an odor of marijuana emanating from inside.
The incident occurred in February of 2020.
MNPD detectives asked if they could enter the woman’s home. The woman complied because she said she had nothing to hide, said COB Executive Director Jill Fitcheard.
“She informed the detectives that she did not receive public housing assistance and asked to speak with the property manager. The detectives responded by saying it was the property management’s rule that she would be evicted if she did not cooperate,” Fitcheard told board members.
“She said the detectives intimidated her to make her sign the search warrant. After the detectives informed her that the property manager would evict her if she did not cooperate, the complainant signed the form, allowing detectives to search her residence. She was subsequently charged with three misdemeanor citations and the property seized.”
Fitcheard told COB members that she reviewed the investigative file, the woman’s complaint, and a recorded interview involving all on-scene participants. Fitcheard said the preponderance of the evidence did not support the woman’s allegations against the four detectives.
“The violation is searches by consent. This policy had a change in the way it was written in August [of this year],” Fitcheard said.
The old policy strongly recommended that detectives obtain written consent, Fitcheard said.
“In the new policy, in August of this year, it is the same policy, and the only change is a language change. It says as a side note that it is expected that officers will attempt to obtain written consent. That stronger language came out from another case.”
Nashville voters approved a civilian oversight board over police in 2018.
Nashville Fraternal Order of Police members have long said they have serious constitutional concerns about the board. FOP members have even said the board is “set up for some means of retaliation and retribution for a problem that doesn’t exist.”
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Chris Butler is an investigative journalist at The Tennessee Star. Follow Chris on Facebook. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Metro Nashville Police Car” by nashville.gov.
I appreciate your reply. However, basing your conclusion at least partly on the complainant’s claims does prove anything.
The police know, they do not randomly act on operations like this without prior knowledge. Now the democratic socialist COB will get involved and no justice will be served because they operate as an organization that functions only with the attitude that the police are always wrong and they are the real criminals !
“The detectives responded by saying it was the property management’s rule that she would be evicted if she did not cooperate”
Yeah this is straight up fascism.
“Nashville Fraternal Order of Police members have long said they have serious constitutional concerns about the board.”
Yet you have no regard for The Constitution when it comes to obtaining a warrant legally.
“FOP members have even said the board is “set up for some means of retaliation and retribution for a problem that doesn’t exist.”
But we have a record of your officers deliberately violating the person’s 4th Amendment plus lying to them because they either don’t have any real evidence -or- they are too lazy to do actual police work so as to obtain the warrant legally.
No one wants a drug dealer for a neighbor but this is complete horsesh*t. And this is a perfect example why nobody trusts the police. Especially Metro Davidson County police. You can’t lye to people and obtain warrants illegally and expect respect and trust from the public that claim to protect.
John – And your proof that this is horse poop is…. ?
I am not saying that you are incorrect but I have seen no proof that the complaint was legitimate.
I thought it was all pretty much laid out in the article. That’s why I supplemented my comments with quotes from the article. And though my personal experiences can be considered biased and/or anecdotal, I’ve witnessed these tactics first hand. The most common of these is lying and unlawful search and seizers.
This is not a rail against every police officer out there. But Nashville Metro PD has always had this problem for as long as I’ve been living and I’ve been living for a pretty long time.
The inmates are running the asylum.