Nashville Metro Council voted last night to give Metro Nashville Police Department $3.15 million dollars to fund the purchase of new tasers. That was far short of the $5.8 million that MPND had requested.
As previously reported, The Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD) had requested a budget for new tasers, stating that the tasers in current use are obsolete and are not reliable.
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Thieves in Nashville this year have stolen exactly 1,259 guns out of vehicles, according to statistics, as compiled by the Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD). “More than 70 percent of ALL guns reported stolen in 2021 (1,789) were taken from vehicles. Last week, 49 guns were stolen from cars and trucks. Many of the guns taken last week came from vehicles parked outside nightclubs, apartment buildings and hotels,” MNPD officials said in a press release last week.
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Wednesday night a Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD) officer killed a suspect after a brief shootout.
“Fatal police shooting under investigation on Old Hickory Blvd W in Madison. Citizens called to report this abandoned Impala in the traffic lane with doors open & the sounds of gunfire from nearby woods. Officers repeatedly ordered the gunman to emerge & surrender…” MNPD said on Twitter.
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The Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD) requested from the city’s COVID-19 Financial Oversight Committee a budget for new tasers, saying the ones they currently use are outdated, obsolete, and do not work properly.
MNPD Deputy Chief Chris Taylor told the committee in a Dec. 8 meeting that the review of their taser equipment was prompted during COVID-19, while the department addressed how to arrest unruly suspects who were COVID-19 positive.
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The Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD) called their Safe Surrender event a success. Earlier this week, the Safe Surrender was held Friday and Saturday at the Galilee Missionary Baptist Church where citizens with outstanding warrants were able to speak with judges about their cases.
“Nashville Safe Surrender=SUCCESS!” The MNPD Tweeted Saturday. “Today & Fri 193 persons came to Galilee Church to surrender on warrants or check their status.”
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Nashville Metro Police Department (MNPD) announced they would be offering a “Safe Surrender” event on December 10 and 11 for people with outstanding warrants to turn themselves in as “a special one-time opportunity toward a second chance.”
The MNPD said for those who are willing to take responsibility for their actions may attend the Galilee Missionary Baptist Church on 2021 Herman St. where they will be able to receive favorable consideration and could be able to go home the same day.
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Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD) Chief John Drake last week announced a new Violent Crimes Division to investigate car jackings, armed robberies, and other violent incidents of an apparent serial nature.
According to an MNPD press release, this new division becomes effective December 1.
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The quick actions of a Nashville pastor and several of his parishioners saved a church from violence Sunday afternoon, according to the Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD).
MNPD officials said in a press release that Dezire Baganda, 26, was sitting at the front of the Nashville Light Mission Pentecostal Church when he pulled out a gun and walked up to the altar where the pastor was praying with several members.
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U.S. Representative Steve Cohen (D-TN-09) said at a House Judiciary hearing last week that good people with firearms do not stop bad people with firearms. “Show me a case in Memphis where a good man or woman with a gun protected and stopped the use of a weapon. That canard doesn’t occur. That dog won’t hunt. It doesn’t happen. You talk about people losing their Second Amendment rights through these procedures,” Cohen said, referring to various states’ red flag laws.
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Members of the Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD) said that a man at the 3700 block of Gallatin Pike used a firearm Tuesday to prevent someone else from stealing his vehicle. MNPD officials said in a press release this week that the alleged thief, Jaden Webb, 20, of Clarksville tried to steal a vehicle outside of a convenience store.
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A person whom the Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD) describe as a “convicted cocaine felon” could face federal prosecution after authorities arrested him for allegedly shooting his girlfriend last week. MNPD officials this week announced the arrest of that man, Demarco Watson, 25.
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Members of Nashville’s Community Oversight Board (COB) have scheduled a special meeting for Wednesday where they plan to call upon Metro Nashville Police (MNPD) to document all uses of “soft empty-hand control” techniques.
This, according to Wednesday’s COB meeting agenda.
The MNPD manual defines “soft empty-hand control” as using physical strength to control people who resist arrest. The manual goes on to say that these techniques include pain compliance pressure points, controlled takedowns, joint manipulation, or simply grabbing a subject.
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Officers with the Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD) have been plenty busy the past few days, due to several high-profile crimes, including a suspect who allegedly forced himself into another man’s car and kidnapped the man. “Around 4 a.m. a 28-year-old victim was stopped at a red light on Haywood Lane near I-24 when he said the suspect entered the passenger side. The suspect held the victim and driver of the car at knifepoint,” MNPD officials said in a press release.
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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.
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Too many Nashvillians are losing the personal belongings that they keep in their vehicles, and they are also losing their own automobiles because they aren’t taking one simple precaution, according to the Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD). MNPD officials said several Nashvillians continue to keep their keys in their vehicles.
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Metro Nashville City Council voted to increase its spending on Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD) by $10.5 million, per the finalized budget. Mayor John Cooper approved the budget on Wednesday. Some of this funding will go toward the new southeast precinct, totaling up a 5 percent increase. Overall, the budget sits at around $2.6 billion.
Following passage of the budget during Tuesday’s meeting, the Nashville People’s Budget Coalition shouted down the council members during its 45 minute recess. As a result, the council was unable to continue its business on time.
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Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD) announced Monday that mental health clinicians will join officers on 911 calls through a Co-Response Crisis Intervention Program starting June 28. The pilot program was reportedly modeled after the Support Team Assistance Response (STAR) pilot program in Denver, Colorado.
“The MNPD’s first ever Co-Response Crisis Intervention [Program] (officers teamed with clinicians) begins 6/28. 16 officers from the North and Hermitage Precincts today begin 40 hours of crisis intervention training alongside Mental Health Co-Op staff in preparation for the start,” wrote MNPD.
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Metro Nashville Community Oversight Board’s (COB) submitted their hiring recommendations, including diversity increases and bias history requirements, on Friday.
The COB made the decision to adopt and formally submit the report to the Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD) during their meeting last Wednesday.
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An after-action review board found that the Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD) 2019 response to a report of the Nashville bomber was inadequate. They noted that the follow-up to the August 2019 incident had multiple issues: namely, lack of documentation and insufficient information gathered. However, the review board also asserted that its analysis doesn’t mean that the bombing was preventable.
The After-Action Review Board concludes that there is no way to know for sure if the suicide bombing on December 25, 2020 could have been prevented. Law enforcement followed protocols and procedures regarding the 8/21/19 incident, however deficiencies were identified in how the follow-up investigation was conducted. An after-action report, by its very nature, invites the examiners to employ hindsight in reaching their conclusions. But there is danger in that. One must not assume that because certain good practices were not followed or certain actions were not taken, the outcome would have necessarily been different had those proper steps been taken. All we can say for sure is that following the best practices and being diligent creates the best opportunity for a good result next time.
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Thieves throughout Nashville are stealing firearms from other people’s vehicles and even stealing the vehicles themselves because the owners aren’t locking their vehicle doors. “This, according to a press release that members of the Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD) published this week.
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The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) couldn’t confirm the citizenship status of Salman Mohamed, the 22-year-old gunman who shot at Metro Nashville Police officers earlier this month. The Tennessee Star placed an open records request with USCIS, only to be told that Mohamed’s date and place of birth would be required in order to verify Mohamed’s citizenship status. The Star offered USCIS this information: Mohamed’s full name, age, last known residence, and date of death.
After assessing your request, and consistent with 6 C.F.R. § 5.3, USCIS FOIA has determined your request did not describe the records sought in sufficient detail to enable our personnel to locate such records with a reasonable amount of effort. A date of birth and place of birth should be provided for the subject of record in order to enable our personnel to locate such records with a reasonable amount of effort. Accordingly, this office is administratively closing your request pursuant to 6 C.F.R. § 5.3(c). This administrative closure does not prejudice your ability to submit a new FOIA request. (emphasis added)
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Metro Nashville’s Community Oversight Board (COB) wants the Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD) to prioritize diversity when hiring. This came out of an advisory report focused on reforming MNPD hiring procedures, requested by the Nashville NAACP. In the conclusion of its report, the COB insinuated it wasn’t enough for MNPD’s current standards to hire applicants who are critical thinkers, empathetic, problem solvers, good communicators, and have integrity. They recommended that MNPD prioritize diversity more.
“The data analysis in this report shows that there are racial, ethnic, and gender disparities in the hiring process that should be evaluated and addressed so that the goal of diversifying the police force can become a reality,” read the report’s conclusion. “The eleven recommendations offered in this report aim to encourage community, transparency, accountability, equity, justice, and evidence as core components of the police department.”
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Three Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD) officers were ambushed after responding to a 911 call alleging that a woman had been shot. One officer, Brian Sherman, was shot multiple times in the upper left arm and transported to Vanderbilt University Medical Center. According to MNPD, the call was a setup executed by an individual that police identified as the gunman, 22-year-old Salman Mohamed. His immigration status is unknown.
In a press conference late Tuesday night, Metro Police Public Information Officer Don Aaron explained that Salman falsely told the 911 operator around 6 p.m. CST that his brother had shot his mother, and that shots were continuing to be fired. Aaron explained that Mohamed answered the door when the MNPD officers knocked on the door of the residence identified in the 911 call about ten minutes later. Only Sherman was hit in the ensuing gunfire.
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Metro Nashville attorneys settled for $2.25 million with the parents of Daniel Hambrick in their wrongful death lawsuit. That settlement wouldn’t bring closure to the entirety of the ordeal, however. The settlement will not resolve a separate case concerning Andrew Delke, the Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD) officer who shot Hambrick. Delke still faces a first-degree murder charge.
By offering this settlement, Metro government clarified that neither they or Delke were admitting to any wrongdoing or liability. Metropolitan Director of Law Bob Cooper suggested that this settlement would help offer some closure for the community.
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The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation is looking into an officer-involved shooting Wednesday of a suspect who allegedly rammed several police cars in north Nashville.
The TBI on Wednesday tweeted, “HAPPENING NOW: TBI Agents are investigating a reported officer-involved shooting in Nashville, at a location in the 2200 block of Brick Church Pike.”
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Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD) revealed that it would be adopting a “heightened security posture” at the State Capitol on Inauguration Day. MNPD informed the Metropolitan Council of these measures less than a week after the Capitol Hill riot took place.
In a copy of the letter obtained The Tennessee Star, Chief of Police John Drake informed the council that several unique protests would occur leading up to and on Inauguration Day. He reassured them that there wasn’t any “indication of an imminent threat of violence or danger.”
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Downtown Nashville now features a mural honoring the six police officers who evacuated residents ahead of the Christmas Day bombing. Sergeant Timothy Miller and officers Brenna Hosey, Amanda Topping, Tyler Luellen, Michael Sipos, James Wells are depicted on a rendition of the famed “I Believe in Nashville” mural series. Their version of the mural reads, “I Believe in Heroes.”
The mural is located at the corner of 2nd Avenue and Broadway, just ahead of the site of the bombing. The street is still blocked off due to the wreckage being cleared away. The groups behind the popular Instagram pages dedicated to the Nashville community and the “I Believe in Nashville” mural series painted the mural with the permission of the building owner, Hard Rock Cafe Nashville. The mural is expected to remain until the window underneath is replaced. After that, it will be framed and hung inside the building.
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Nashville bomber Anthony Warner reportedly mailed packages to people he knew before the attack with pages containing nonsensical rambling statements about lizard people and UFOs.
NewsChannel 5 reported on the development in the Christmas Day bombing case.
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Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD) stated that last year’s investigation into the Nashville bomber yielded no evidence or suspicion of a crime. Chief John Drake revealed those details in a statement on Anthony Warner, the bomber linked to the Christmas Day explosion in downtown Nashville.
Drake explained that MNPD were called by an attorney to address a suicidal woman with two guns last August. The woman at the scene was Pamela Perry, Warner’s girlfriend at the time. She reported to police that Warner was making bombs in his RV trailer, and stated that both guns belonged to him. The attorney, Raymond Throckmorton III, reportedly represented both Warner and Perry.
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Just hours after confirming that 63-year-old Anthony Quinn Warner was under investigation for an explosion that rocked downtown Nashville on Christmas, the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department (MNPD) confirmed that Warner died in that explosion.
“BREAKING: Law enforcement is now announcing that Anthony Warner, 63, of Bakertown Rd, is the man believed responsible for Friday’s explosion He perished in the blast. No one else is presently believed to have been involved. Thank you to our federal & state partners,” MNPD said in a statement.
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Metro Nashville Police Department SWAT officers on Friday arrested Devaunte L. Hill in the December 3 murder of Nashville nurse Caitlyn Kaufman as she drove to work on Interstate 440, police said.
Hill, 21, was taken into custody at his apartment in the Berkshire Place complex on Porter Road in East Nashville, MNPD said.
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Veteran Detective and Interim Chief John Drake has been selected as Metro Nashville Police Department’s new chief, Mayor John Cooper announced Monday at a press conference.
Drake, 56, is a Nashville native who began his MNPD career in 1988 and has served in a number of jobs throughout the department, the city said in a press release here.
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During a meeting last week, Mayor John Cooper’s Policing Policies Commission (PCC) Policies Group indicated aims to diminish police and stated that criminals aren’t entirely at fault for their crimes.
Gideon’s Army Founder and CEO Rasheedat Fetuga was the main guest speaker. Vice Chair Amanda Lucas brought on Fetuga to speak, calling her a “visionary.”
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An estimated nine to ten thousand people attended a “Let Us Worship” protest in downtown Nashville on late Sunday afternoon. The event was hosted by Sean Feucht, a Christian artist known for his leadership in the California-based megachurch, Bethel Church.
Attendees flocked to the Public Square in downtown Nashville, in front of Metro Courthouse. The day of the event, Feucht announced in a Twitter video the last-minute arrangements for time and location.
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Informants reportedly helped Nashville Mayor John Cooper’s restaurant police cite two downtown bars over the weekend.
WSMV reported that a task force cited Dogwood and Rebar, both on Division Street, on Saturday for having too many patrons, including on the patio. The task force had members from Metro Public Health Department, the Metro Nashville Police Department and the Metro Beer Board. The task force checked on Dogwood again on Sunday.
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Nashville Mayor John Cooper announced the city will have a Policing Policy Commission (PCC) to review use-of-force policies within the Metro Nashville Police Department.
This, according to a press release that Cooper’s staff published on the city’s website.
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Monday morning on The Tennessee Star Report, guest host Ben Cunningham welcomed local Nashville activist Wendi Mahoney to the newsmakers line to discuss her new fundraiser Lunches for Law Enforcement.
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The Metro Nashville Police Department announced a “significant arrest” Wednesday night in connection to the May 30 riots outside the Metro Courthouse.
According to a press release, authorities have arrested 33-year-old Ryan Keith Ray on eight criminal charges. Ray has been charged with inciting a riot, arson, two counts of burglary, and four counts of felony vandalism.
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Metro Nashville Police say they arrested a man in connection with an assault on influential real estate developer Tony Giarratana during the May 30 protests.
Nicholas Barrett, 25, on Wednesday was charged with felony aggravated assault for allegedly striking Giarratana from behind with a skateboard outside 505 Church St. during the protest.
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Mayor John Cooper said this week that he has asked the Metro Nashville Police Department to strengthen its policies to “explicitly prohibit the use of chokeholds and to further clarify officers’ duty to intervene.”
However, as the statement from Cooper’s office notes, chokeholds are already prohibited under Tennessee law in most circumstances. Additionally, since the Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD) doesn’t train officers on the technique, chokeholds are “not allowed per Nashville police policy and have not been allowed for decades,” said the statement.
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The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Tennessee called on Metro Police Chief Steve Anderson to resign in a statement released Wednesday.
“Over the last ten days, tens of thousands of Nashvillians have stood together in peaceful protests to express their outrage over the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis. These powerful protests highlight the outrage over the enduring and deep-rooted problem of racist policing and structural racism in the United States,” the group said in its statement.
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Lt. Gov. Randy McNally declared the Saturday Nashville protests, which he said were “mayhem,” were caused by outside agitators. It turns out the vast majority of the violent Nashville protesters were locals.
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The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation has opened investigations into five different officer-involved shootings in the last nine days, including the shooting of an off-duty Metro Nashville officer.
According to a statement from the Metro Nashville Police Department, Officer Darrell Osment was “inexplicably” shot in the back “without warning or provocation” while walking his dog Thursday night. Osment said he was in plain clothes when he encountered a man he did not know on the street.
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Nashville Mayor John Cooper unveiled the city’s several step plan for Metro police officers to start using body-worn cameras (BWCs) Tuesday.
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Nashville-Davidson County Sheriff Daron Hall announced this week that his office will no longer contract to house Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainees — apparently because he no longer wishes to deal with the politics of it.
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Nashville police and the Community Oversight Board are reportedly at loggerheads with talking to one another, much less working together.
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Mayoral candidate Dr. Carol Swain spoke out on her plans to support the Metro Nashville Police Department in light of today being Peace Officers Memorial Day. “This week is National Police Week,” Swain said. “I would like to thank the brave officers who sacrifice their time and put their lives on the line for us each and every day. And although this is a week of recognizing the courageous men and women who serve our city, their efforts and bravery should be celebrated each and every day of the year.” “Over the past four weeks, I have had the privilege of going on a ride along with North Precinct and have visited the 6:30 am and 2:30 pm Police roll calls across Davidson County. As Nashville’s next mayor, I look forward to ensuring our police department not only has the manpower, the funds and technology needed to effectively serve our community, but that they also feel well respected by our city’s leaders and the community. I speak as a person who holds a degree in criminal justice and understands the needs and challenges of law enforcement. Thank you for all you do!” Swain is a political scientist and a…
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Tennessee is near the bottom of the list when it comes to best states to be a police officer, according to a new ranking. Tennessee is 45 of 51 (including Washington, D.C.) of top states in which to be a policeman, according to a ranking by WalletHub. In the past decade, over 1,500 police officers, including 158 in 2018, died in the line of duty. Tens of thousands more were assaulted and injured. Tennessee was No. 31 for opportunity and competition, 39 for job hazards and protections, and 47 for quality of life, according to WalletHub. Those dimensions were evaluated using 27metrics on a 100-point scale. A 100 is the most favorable condition. Regarding the ranking, Nashville mayoral candidate Carol Swain said in a statement, “A new independent study out today ranks Tennessee one of the worst states in the country to be a police officer. Nashville residents continue to face serious crime that threatens our personal safety and harms local businesses, yet Mayor Briley’s administration has hung our first responders out to dry, with police and fire departments that are understaffed, overworked, and underpaid. Nashville can do better!” James Smallwood, president of the Nashville Fraternal Order of Police,…
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Nashville’s community oversight board has turned to someone outside of the community – Chicago, to be exact – to lead the organization’s oversight of police. The oversight board voted Tuesday to offer the executive director job to Chicago attorney William Weeden, Nashville Public Radio said. The board selected Weeden over four other finalists. Weeden is a civil rights attorney and a former prosecutor and professor of law. He served eight years as a leader of the Independent Police Review Authority in Chicago, Nashville Public Radio said. Metro Nashville’s website says the board has the power to investigate allegations that MNPD officers have committed misconduct against members of the public. That’s not all of its powers: The Board has the option to forward resolution reports that produce factual findings of criminal misconduct and civil rights violations to the District Attorney, Grand Jury, or U.S. Attorney. The Board shall have all powers, including the power to compel, identified in Section 18.10 of the Metropolitan Charter. A biography on Weeden’s law practice website says his previous stints included working for the Cook County (Illinois) State’s Attorney Office and serving as Assistant Attorney General in St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands, where he prosecuted felony…
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Metro Nashville’s rank and file workers may receive a cost-of-living raise that the city has long promised but failed to deliver after a contentious budget process last year. Nashville Mayor David Briley on Monday announced a cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) of 3 percent for all Metro employees in FY 2020, starting with the new budget on July 1. “After a year when we had to put out a tight budget – which was a disappointment to me – I am proud to say that we can now give Metro employees the cost-of-living adjustment they deserve,” Briley said. “I would like all the men and women who work for our city to know that I deeply appreciate everything they do for residents throughout Nashville and Davidson County.” Briley said he will recommend funding step and open-range increases in the budget he will submit to Metro Council by May 1. If the rank and file employees do receive the COLA, they will be playing catch-up with Briley’s inner circle. The Tennessee Star reported last September that Briley gave merit raises to 20 members of his own staff. Two of the mayor’s staff received 6 percent increases. Briley said in his press release that…
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