POST denies Jackson-area waiver, rescinds earlier approval after video review

The Tennessee POST Commission on April 17 denied a criminal-record and military-discharge waiver request for a Jackson Police Department applicant and later rescinded a previously granted certificate approval tied to a separate Jackson County case after the agency provided video evidence.

During separate agenda items, the commission considered two Jackson-area requests. First, Jackson Police Department sought a waiver for Jordan Shane Neushenwander, who had been discharged from the U.S. Air Force in 2015 and had a 2015 DUI conviction in Bibb County, Georgia. Neushenwander told the commission he has been sober, is active in his church, and has worked in security since leaving the military. He said he had additional traffic-related incidents, and noted one Oklahoma City charge had been expunged.

The commission took a motion to deny Neushenwander's waiver. Commissioner Jeffress moved to deny the waiver and Mr. Gray seconded; commissioners voted in favor of the denial as recorded on the transcript.

Later the commission revisited a February approval related to Ryan Dubiel, an applicant whose residency and prior conduct were under scrutiny. Detective Shane Stanton of the Jackson County Sheriff's Office told the commission the agency reviewed video that contradicted the applicant's earlier testimony to the commission and subsequently terminated him. After Jackson County presented the update, a commissioner moved to rescind the earlier approval and to flag the individual's record in the national decertification/denial index (NDI); commissioners voted to rescind the prior approval and to enter the matter into statewide records so it will be discoverable by other agencies.

The rescission followed Jackson County's representation that the agency had fired the individual after learning the applicant had not accurately described the incident at issue to POST earlier. Detective Stanton told the commission Jackson County had viewed the relevant video and that the sheriff "ultimately terminated him" after learning the full facts.

Speakers

- Jordan Shane Neushenwander, Applicant (Jackson Police Department application) - Frank Yalba, Representative (Jackson Police Department) [as named in the transcript] - Detective Shane Stanton, Jackson County Sheriff's Office (agency representative)

Authorities

[{"type":"other","name":"National Decertification Index (NDI)","citation":"NDI","referenced_by":["jackson-waivers-rescind"]}]

Actions

[{"kind":"motion","identifiers":{"agenda_item_id":"waiver-jordan-neushenwander-2025-04-17"},"motion":"Deny criminal-record and military-discharge waiver for Jordan Shane Neushenwander (Jackson Police Department)","mover":"Commissioner Jeffress","second":"Mister Gray","vote_record":[],"tally":{},"legal_threshold":{"met":true,"notes":"Recorded as voice vote in transcript; commissioners voted in favor of denial."},"outcome":"failed","notes":"Motion to deny carried; no roll-call tally recorded."},{"kind":"motion","identifiers":{"agenda_item_id":"rescind-dubiel-2025-04-17"},"motion":"Rescind prior approval for Ryan Dubiel and flag the individual's record in the National Decertification Index","mover":"Commissioner Martin","second":null,"vote_record":[],"tally":{},"legal_threshold":{"met":true,"notes":"Commission voted to rescind prior action and to mark the record in NDI."},"outcome":"approved","notes":"Jackson County reported termination after agency review of video; motion carried."}]

Clarifying details

[{"category":"criminal_history","detail":"Neushenwander DUI in Bibb County, Georgia; Oklahoma charge(s) within month; Oklahoma matters expunged","value":"2015","approximate":false,"source_speaker":"Jordan Shane Neushenwander"},{"category":"rescind_reason","detail":"Jackson County reviewed body-camera video that contradicted prior testimony; agency terminated the employee and requested rescission and flagging","source_speaker":"Detective Shane Stanton"}]

Proper_names

[{"name":"Jackson Police Department","type":"agency"},{"name":"Jackson County Sheriff's Office","type":"agency"},{"name":"National Decertification Index (NDI)","type":"other"}]

Provenance

{"transcript_segments":[{"block_id":"1079.58","local_start":0,"local_end":90,"evidence_excerpt":"Jackson Police Department requested military discharge and criminal record waiver for Jordan Shane Neushenwander in May of 2015. He was discharged from the United States Air Force with a general under honorable conditions discharge ...","tc_start":"00:17:59","tc_end":"00:18:40","reason_code":"topicintro"},{"block_id":"1526.835","local_start":0,"local_end":35,"evidence_excerpt":"Mister Jeffress, I'll make a motion to deny the waiver.","tc_start":"00:25:26","tc_end":"00:25:31","reason_code":"topicfinish"},{"block_id":"3935.55","local_start":0,"local_end":120,"evidence_excerpt":"The commission to revisit a February 2025 vote to approve a criminal record waiver for Ryan ... Jackson County Sheriff's Office has an update on his employment status with the department ... he is no longer employed with the Jackson County Sheriff's Office.","tc_start":"01:04:59","tc_end":"01:05:59","reason_code":"topicintro"},{"block_id":"4149.2153","local_start":0,"local_end":80,"evidence_excerpt":"All in favor of that motion, say aye. Aye. Daily post. Alright. So that motion carries.","tc_start":"01:09:09","tc_end":"01:09:39","reason_code":"topicfinish"}]}

salience":{"overall":0.78,"overall_justification":"Denial and rescission involve public-safety credentialing and integrity issues with broader implications for hiring vetting and statewide records.","impact_scope":"regional","impact_scope_justification":"Actions affect Jackson-area agencies and may be discoverable statewide via NDI.","attention_level":"high","attention_level_justification":"Rescinding an approval and flagging in NDI represents a significant integrity and interagency notification action.","novelty":0.45,"novelty_justification":"Rescission after video review is notable; denials are routine but matter locally.","timeliness_urgency":0.60,"timeliness_urgency_justification":"Records will be entered in the NDI and may affect other agencies' hiring decisions.","legal_significance":0.55,"legal_significance_justification":"Flagging in the NDI affects certification and future employment across jurisdictions.","budgetary_significance":0.00,"budgetary_significance_justification":"No budgeting actions reported.","public_safety_risk":0.50,"public_safety_risk_justification":"Concerns about candor and use-of-force conduct have implications for public trust and safety."} ,