The commission's informal subcommittee voted to decertify former Tennessee state trooper Dustin Ray Cotton after hearing investigative findings and Cotton's testimony.

Sergeant Toby Clark of the Department of Safety summarized two investigations: an earlier DUI arrest where Cotton missed multiple subpoenas and the charge was later dismissed for failure to prosecute, and a separate personnel investigation arising from Cotton's frequent presence at Marshall County EMS offices. Clark told the subcommittee investigators found multiple instances where Cotton did not activate his body‑worn camera while interacting with citizens, repeated high‑speed driving incidents that triggered dash‑cam activations, and at least one traffic stop in an EMS parking lot that investigators characterized as non‑enforcement and that Cotton described as intended to be "funny." Clark said the totality of those findings supported a recommendation for termination.

Dustin Cotton addressed the panel and acknowledged lapses. He said he had worked night shifts covering multiple counties and that, during the period in question, he was coping with family emergencies, including serious injuries to his wife and caring for a child with medical needs. Cotton told the subcommittee, "I don't feel like anything I've done is ethically wrong, morally wrong or illegal," while admitting he had not consistently worn his body camera and that some of his actions were "not okay." He disputed or could not recall some earlier alleged misconduct from years before and said he owned mistakes from the recent period.

Commissioners questioned Cotton about alleged "ghost" stops from earlier employment, whether he ran NCIC/dispatch information that could have been heard by non‑certified listeners at an EMS office, and an incident involving a felon with a firearm. Cotton alternately acknowledged some behavior, said he could not recall specific instances, and confirmed that he had failed to follow protocols on body camera usage and on handling certain stops.

A commissioner moved to approve decertification based on the department's stated policy violations; the motion was seconded (Commissioner Beverly recorded as second) and carried by voice vote. Investigative staff told Cotton the investigators would explain next procedural steps.

The subcommittee record notes investigators referred factual material from the probe to the county district attorney's office for any criminal review; the panel's action here was administrative decertification of certification under post processes and does not itself determine criminal liability.