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POST Commission approves several personnel dispositions, asks for update on Henry Police audit
Summary
The commission approved a surrender in lieu of decertification, imposed a one‑year suspension offer in another case and sent a third matter for further proceedings. Investigators reported audit findings from the Henry Police Department and the commission asked for a March update.
At its Feb. 21 meeting the Tennessee Peace Officer Standards and Training Commission approved several disciplinary‑related items and instructed staff to continue follow‑up on a departmental audit for Henry Police Department.
The commission accepted the voluntary surrender of certification from Jeffrey Butcher, who had been the subject of a pending decertification proceeding dating to 2018. Commissioners voted to accept the surrender after legal staff described the pending matter and the agreed language.
The commission also approved an agreed one‑year suspension offer for Kendrick D. Leftwich, who has been out of law enforcement since Oct. 30, 2022. Legal staff said Leftwich's record included findings related to providing false information during an internal investigation and other aggregated conduct; the one‑year suspension would place him in suspended status in the National Decertification Index until a hiring agency seeks reinstatement and the commission acts on transition school requirements.
Commissioners voted to deny a settlement offer in the case of Henry Tyrone McGowan and directed that matter proceed for further action. Staff told commissioners the McGowan case included substantiated findings of workplace harassment, an alleged hands‑around‑the‑neck incident in an HR office and truthfulness concerns arising from attempts to align interview statements; commissioners who reviewed the informal record said the matter warranted further proceedings rather than a negotiated settlement.
Separately, a POST investigator presented an audit of the Henry Police Department’s records after an investigation into part‑time employees and training submissions. The investigator reported inconsistent record storage across old and new offices, an apparent omission of preemployment paperwork for a part‑time reserve officer (who was also the mayor and later resigned), and a part‑time officer who worked in excess of hours that are allowed for part‑time status. Chief Reeves (Henry PD) acknowledged the transition and told commissioners he is moving to a full‑time chief role for Henry and has been working with staff to submit missing paperwork. Commissioners voted to require an updated status report at the March meeting on the investigator's recommendations and on Cadence/ACADIS submissions for the department.
Commission legal staff and investigators said the NDI and inter‑state record transfers complicate review when other states' legacy systems migrated records. Commissioners asked staff to continue outreach to affected agencies and to report back at the next meeting.
