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Informal subcommittee grants in‑service waiver for interim Medina chief pending full commission review
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Summary
An informal subcommittee of the Tennessee Peace Officer Standards and Training Commission voted to recommend an in‑service waiver for Philip Kemper, who missed two consecutive years of mandated training while on administrative leave; the recommendation will go to the full commission for final action.
The informal hearing subcommittee of the Peace Officer Standards and Training Commission voted to recommend a waiver of in‑service training requirements for Philip Kemper, interim chief of the Medina Police Department, pending the full commission's review.
Kemper told the subcommittee he was placed on paid administrative leave by the Jackson Police Department in December 2021 and did not receive formal charges until February 2024. He said being on administrative leave prevented him from completing POST‑mandated in‑service training and from submitting proof for some training he attended. Kemper said he has completed 44 hours of training since January and is registered for two 40‑hour, POST‑approved courses in the coming months.
The commission’s general counsel, Ashley Ball, told the subcommittee that statute requires decertification after two consecutive years without in‑service training but that the rules allow the commission to grant a waiver. The Jackson Police Department had submitted waivers on Kemper’s behalf for prior years; the commission asked questions at a prior meeting and referred the matter to the informal subcommittee so Kemper could answer directly.
Subcommittee members moved to grant the waiver recommendation to the full commission; the subcommittee approved the motion by voice vote and the item will appear on the full commission's agenda for final action.
Kemper and counsel told commissioners the missing training resulted from administrative leave and pending litigation with Jackson; he said he is now serving as interim chief in Medina and intends to complete POST‑approved training soon. The subcommittee noted that if it did not recommend a waiver, Kemper would fall into automatic decertification for missing two consecutive years.
The subcommittee’s recommendation does not itself restore or remove certification; it forwards the waiver recommendation for the full commission to accept or reject at a subsequent meeting.
