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POST refers Franklin County sheriff and training officer to informal hearing after investigator finds false training entries, attempted salary claim
Summary
Tennessee POST investigators found a Franklin County sheriff's training record had been entered by a GDI and that an $800 salary supplement would have been claimed; the commission voted to refer both the sheriff and the department training officer to an informal hearing.
Tennessee Peace Officer Standards and Training Commission investigators reported that Franklin County Sheriff Reagan’s training record in the state database included online classes entered by his agency’s general department instructor (GDI), and that the entry would have resulted in an $800 salary supplement if submitted to the state.
Kevin Craig, a POST investigator, told commissioners that the GDI had completed six hours of vAcademy classes in the sheriff’s online training profile on the sheriff’s behalf and that the agency had prepared a salary-supplement submission based on those hours. Craig said the submission was stopped after POST staff reviewed the matter. He also said he found printed answer sheets for online course tests on the sheriff’s desk during the visit.
Sheriff Reagan acknowledged asking the GDI to take the classes because he had missed other training opportunities, and said he was “sorry” and would not repeat the behavior. Craig told the commission the GDI knew the entry was wrong but completed it anyway.
Commissioners discussed two distinct regulatory concerns: (1) the inaccurate training record and (2) the attempted submission of a salary supplement based on the inaccurate record. After discussion, a commissioner moved — and another commissioner seconded — that POST refer the GDI and Sheriff Reagan to an informal hearing so the subcommittee can examine whether the entries and the attempted supplement violate POST rules. The motion carried on a voice vote.
POST staff said they had not yet referred the matter to the district attorney and that formal next steps would follow the informal-subcommittee process. The commission directed staff to set a hearing date and to notify the sheriff and the GDI.
Commissioners and staff emphasized that the referral concerns the accuracy of training records and the attempted state payment tied to those records; they paused any salary-supplement payment while the matter is processed.
Provenance: POST investigator Kevin Craig presented the findings to the commission and commissioners moved to send the matter to the informal hearing subcommittee during the March 21 meeting.
Ending: The commission’s informal-subcommittee referral begins an administrative review; POST staff will schedule the hearing and will advise the commission whether further action — including referral to prosecutors — is warranted.
