THP captain demoted
COOKEVILLE -- The top
Tennessee Highway Patrol officer in this area, Capt. David Allred, has been
demoted and one of his officers suspended, but state officials who made that
decision remain secretive about the details.
Capt. Allred was demoted yesterday from head of the THP district here to lieutenant, and Sgt. Keven Norris was given a five-day suspension and is to be transferred out of the THP's Critical Incident Response Team and will become a road sergeant, according to an announcement on Thursday afternoon by the Department of Safety.
Allred and Norris were placed on administrative leave with pay on March 30 amid an internal investigation into "possible policy violations on the job," as state officials put it at the time.
And while THP Colonel Tracy Trott later issued a statement saying there was no evidence of criminal wrongdoing, no one in the THP would clarify exactly what the alleged violations were.
Now, after reportedly meeting with the two officers in Nashville yesterday, Col. Trott's decision to demote Capt. Allred and to recommend a five-day suspension for Sgt. Norris was announced in a press release, which gives very little information about the violations.
Yesterday's announcement does say that the internal investigators "discovered that Allred and Norris failed to properly report an incident involving Trooper Jonathan Reed on March 27."
The announcement also says that "the case file was also presented to the District Attorney, who found no evidence of criminal activity by Allred or Norris."
"It is in sensitive situations such as this when we must follow the rules to the letter," Col. Trott said in yesterday's announcement.
"While David and Keven acted out of concern for a fellow trooper, they compromised their integrity and that of the Tennessee Highway Patrol."
The announcement goes on to say that "details surrounding the incident cannot be disclosed at this time due to further review into Trooper Reed's actions by the District Attorney's office." The announcement also says that Trooper Jonathan Reed is currently on "approved medical leave."
But the announcement makes no mention of the fact that Reed is Allred's former son-in-law. Nor does it describe in any way what alleged actions by Trooper Reed are now under review by the district attorney.
"We have high expectations for all of our personnel and especially our District Captains," Col. Trott's announcement says.
"David is a good person. He unfortunately used poor judgment in neglecting to notify the chain of command of this incident in a timely manner and follow our policies."
Allred's demotion becomes effective Monday, April 16, and a search for his replacement will begin next week, yesterday's announcement says.
In the interim, Lt. Kendall Riley will continue to serve as commander of the Cookeville THP district.
The announcement also notes that under state regulations, Sgt. Norris, as a civil service employee, has the right to appeal his suspension.
Capt. Allred was demoted yesterday from head of the THP district here to lieutenant, and Sgt. Keven Norris was given a five-day suspension and is to be transferred out of the THP's Critical Incident Response Team and will become a road sergeant, according to an announcement on Thursday afternoon by the Department of Safety.
Allred and Norris were placed on administrative leave with pay on March 30 amid an internal investigation into "possible policy violations on the job," as state officials put it at the time.
And while THP Colonel Tracy Trott later issued a statement saying there was no evidence of criminal wrongdoing, no one in the THP would clarify exactly what the alleged violations were.
Now, after reportedly meeting with the two officers in Nashville yesterday, Col. Trott's decision to demote Capt. Allred and to recommend a five-day suspension for Sgt. Norris was announced in a press release, which gives very little information about the violations.
Yesterday's announcement does say that the internal investigators "discovered that Allred and Norris failed to properly report an incident involving Trooper Jonathan Reed on March 27."
The announcement also says that "the case file was also presented to the District Attorney, who found no evidence of criminal activity by Allred or Norris."
"It is in sensitive situations such as this when we must follow the rules to the letter," Col. Trott said in yesterday's announcement.
"While David and Keven acted out of concern for a fellow trooper, they compromised their integrity and that of the Tennessee Highway Patrol."
The announcement goes on to say that "details surrounding the incident cannot be disclosed at this time due to further review into Trooper Reed's actions by the District Attorney's office." The announcement also says that Trooper Jonathan Reed is currently on "approved medical leave."
But the announcement makes no mention of the fact that Reed is Allred's former son-in-law. Nor does it describe in any way what alleged actions by Trooper Reed are now under review by the district attorney.
"We have high expectations for all of our personnel and especially our District Captains," Col. Trott's announcement says.
"David is a good person. He unfortunately used poor judgment in neglecting to notify the chain of command of this incident in a timely manner and follow our policies."
Allred's demotion becomes effective Monday, April 16, and a search for his replacement will begin next week, yesterday's announcement says.
In the interim, Lt. Kendall Riley will continue to serve as commander of the Cookeville THP district.
The announcement also notes that under state regulations, Sgt. Norris, as a civil service employee, has the right to appeal his suspension.
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