NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — Last week, members of the Community Review Board (CRB) met with Butler Snow LLP attorneys Edward Stanton, Keenan Carter and Larry Cheng.
Those attorneys are charged with leading the investigation of the 61-page whistleblower complaint. That complaint was filed by a former Nashville lieutenant in May and claimed that police leadership helped shape a law that took away a large portion of the board's power.
They were assured the investigation would be independent from both Metro legal and the Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD). The CRB were told that attorneys for the case would review documents, meet with witnesses and prepare a special report.
The CRB claimed that they received multiple complaints from MNPD employees and pleaded for the search to be widened beyond the 61-page complaint.
“We want the most robust form of accountability and transparency that the law will allow at the Nashville county review board,” said CRB chair Alisha Haddock.
Mayor Freddie O’Connell appointed an independent investigator to look into MNPD after the 61-page whistleblower complaint. Recently, a new complaint was filed against MNPD, but the allegations within that complaint have not yet surfaced. News 2 has confirmed that they are a current employee of the police department.
“Any Metro employee or department that worked to overturn the votes of 135,000 voters are not for the people and can’t be trusted with public safety or make informed decisions on how we govern the city,” Haddock said.
The CRB said that attorneys handling the investigation did not specify how long it would take, but they were assured that the case would be handled fairly and impartially.
“I already know what’s going to happen with this investigation,” said a concerned Nashville community member. “It’s the same thing that happened with all the other investigations. They’re going to come up with some recommendations and then it’ll be shelled and put in the desk drawer.”
