Police chief latest to be fired in sex scandal

The police chief of the La Vergne Police Department is the sixth person to be terminated amid an investigation into a sex scandal within the police force he oversaw in the Tennessee city, located about 20 miles southeast of Nashville.

Burrel “Chip” Davis was fired Monday after a third-party investigator concluded that he was aware of at least some of the misbehavior, including sexual misconduct within his department, yet never punished or reported any of the officers involved, according to WSMV4 News.

The investigator also found that Davis, in violation of city policy, “impeded the initial investigation into sexual misconduct,” WSMV4 reported, and “permitted — if not encouraged — conduct potentially contrary to state and federal law.

“There aren’t words to describe the disappointment and frustration felt by myself and other city leaders,” La Vergne Mayor Jason Cole said, according to WSMV. “Officers are held to a higher standard, even more so is their chief.”

Davis was on paid administrative leave before being fired when municipal authorities learned about an Equal Employment Opportunity Commission complaint.

The city’s inquiry into the sex scandal discovered that the La Vergne Police Department’s officers on the night shift were engaging in sexual activity with one another on duty and on public property. The investigation report also featured details of a hot tub party and the officers’ sharing of graphic images.

Davis had a significant role in interviewing officers fired due to the sex scandal, according to audio recordings of the city’s investigation.

According to The Nashville Tennessean, Davis was hired as chief in 2021 and brought with him 22 years of law enforcement experience, including 17 with the La Vergne department.

Five police department members — Officers Maegan Hall and Juan Lugo‐Perez, Sgts. Henry Ty McGowan, and Lewis Powell, plus Detective Seneca Shields — were fired in early January in connection with the sex scandal. Three other officers are now back on duty following suspensions.

Deputy Chief Brent Hatcher has been appointed as La Vergne’s interim police chief as the city gears up for a nationwide search to find a permanent replacement.

“We take the health, safety, and well-being of every employee at La Vergne extremely seriously and a culture similar to the one uncovered in these investigations is not acceptable,” Cole contended, according to WSMV4. “We will continue to do what needs to be done in order to do what’s right for our officers, our city employees, and our community.”

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