A state administrative panel voted on Aug. 29, 2025, to revoke the law-enforcement certification of former La Verne detective-sergeant Henry (Ty) McGowan after a full-day administrative hearing over allegations that included dissemination of sexually explicit images, workplace violence, and untruthfulness during an internal affairs interview.

The commission’s decision followed testimony from the City of La Verne’s human-resources director, Andrew Patton, and Deputy Chief Brent Hatcher, who described evidence the city relied on in recommending termination and decertification. Patton told the panel he saw “images of miss Hall” and “videos of miss Hall” on McGowan’s phone and said the materials were pornographic in nature. Hatcher confirmed the city’s recommendation to seek decertification after McGowan’s January 2023 termination.

Why it matters: revocation of a post certification prevents a former officer from legally serving as a sworn officer in Tennessee and, in practice, ends most career opportunities in local law enforcement that require state certification. The hearing also surfaced disagreements about the scope and handling of the underlying investigation, which several commissioners noted during deliberations.

During the hearing, the department presented recorded interviews, copies of text-message threads McGowan provided post-termination, and testimony about an off-site, recorded meeting between McGowan and Patton in December 2022. Patton testified that he first met McGowan at a boat dock, then reviewed explicit messages and recordings that led to a formal internal-affairs interview. Patton testified that McGowan initially denied sending explicit photos but later—during the internal interview—admitted to sending at least one explicit image while the recipient was a candidate in the department’s hiring process. Patton also testified that HR received a complaint that McGowan had put his hands around an HR employee’s neck; that allegation was sustained in the city’s disciplinary process.

McGowan testified in his own defense. He acknowledged sending a single explicit image to the candidate after a private social gathering and said he had sought medical care for health problems that later affected him. McGowan disputed that he had engaged in sexual relations with the candidate while she was a candidate or while she was a sworn officer. He also described his concerns about promotion and hiring practices inside the La Verne Police Department and said he provided personnel files and messages to city officials as part of raising those concerns.

Commissioners pressed both sides on investigative procedures. Several commissioners said the record showed gaps — for example, that some potential witnesses were not interviewed and that phone records relied on in the review were produced after McGowan’s termination. Commissioners also discussed Chief Davis’s separate personnel issues, the existence of a so-called “secret” phone used by the former chief that appeared in the messages presented, and the fact that some messages were introduced into evidence only after McGowan was terminated.

Deliberations and outcome: After more than five hours of testimony and questioning, the commission’s deliberations focused on whether the department had proved the allegations by a preponderance of the evidence and on the appropriate disciplinary remedy. The commission voted to revoke McGowan’s post certification. Commissioner Brian Wright moved to revoke certification; the motion passed after discussion and a roll-call vote. Commissioner Barton announced a recusal earlier in the proceeding and did not participate in the final vote.

What the order will say next: Commission staff will prepare a final order that records the panel’s findings of fact, the conclusions of law and the policy reasons for revocation. The administrative judge instructed commissioners that discipline options include revocation, suspension, or no action; the panel selected revocation and directed staff to draft an order reflecting the findings and the statutory and policy citations used as the legal basis.

The record of the hearing — including the recorded interviews and the text messages admitted into evidence — will be attached to the commission’s final order and will be part of the administrative record should the respondent seek judicial review.

No criminal charges were resolved at this hearing; the commission’s authority addresses post certification and administrative fitness to remain certified. The commission’s decision ends McGowan’s ability to hold Tennessee peace-officer certification unless a later legal process reverses the administrative order.

The hearing was held under the authority of the Tennessee Administrative Procedures Division and the commission’s procedural rules. Commissioners noted the Tennessee Open Meetings Act and other procedural requirements as they conducted public deliberations and voted on the order.