Nashville Mayor John Cooper announced Monday that Metro Human Resources members have finalized a review committee to find the city’s next police chief.
Cooper said this in a press release that his staff published on the Metro Nashville website.
As The Tennessee Star reported last month, former Metro Nashville Police Chief Steve Anderson vacated his position much sooner than he previously stated he would — without explaining. Left-wing activists and Metro Council members pushed for either Anderson to resign or for Cooper to fire him.
The committee, according to Cooper’s press release, includes the following members:
• Franklin Police Chief Deb Faulkner
• Nashville Community Oversight Board Director Jill Fitcheard
• Former Tennessee Bureau of Investigation Director Mark Gwyn
• Former Davidson County District Attorney Victor “Torry” Johnson
• Metro Office of Family Safety Department Head Diane Lance
“Fifty-seven applicants applied for the position of Chief of Police. Metro HR staff evaluated all applications and qualified candidates in accordance with required Civil Service provisions. The review committee will meet in person in early October,” according to Cooper’s press release.
“It will work with Metro HR staff to narrow the applicants to a list of finalists who will advance to in person interviews. Finalists will meet with the interview panel and with Mayor John Cooper. By Charter, the Mayor selects the Chief of Police.”
As reported, members of the American Civil Liberties Union of Tennessee also called on Anderson to resign. In particular, ACLU members expressed frustration with Anderson’s alleged refusal to collaborate with the Community Oversight Board, which was established in 2018. This, after the deaths of Jocques Clemmons and Daniel Hambrick. The board has independent authority to investigate allegations of misconduct against the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department.
As The Star reported in July, Nashville Metro At-Large Council Member Steve Glover wondered if certain residents of Davidson County who lean right politically will have a say selecting a new police chief. This, as Cooper announced what he called a roadmap to finding a new chief.
Cooper has said he will use former President Barack Obama’s principles on 21st Century Policing to guide him. Those principles, among other things, warn against “overly aggressive law enforcement strategies” and encourage a diverse workforce that reflects community demographics.
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Chris Butler is an investigative journalist at The Tennessee Star. Follow Chris on Facebook. Email tips to [email protected].
Of course Comrade Cooper would use Obama’s leftist principles as his guide. Politically, the mayor is a petty bureaucrat who’s leans a little right of Lenin.