POST Commission approves multiple waivers, agreed surrenders and suspensions

The Tennessee Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) Commission on Aug. 29 approved a series of individual certification actions, including military-discharge and criminal-record waivers, several agreed surrenders of certification and negotiated temporary suspensions.

The approvals and orders affect a mix of applicants seeking to qualify for training or continued employment and officers who agreed to surrender or accept suspension of their POST certification. The measures were taken during the commission’s regularly scheduled meeting and approved by voice vote.

Among the individual actions approved were a military-discharge waiver for Blake Alexander Hart, who appeared with a Chattanooga Police Department representative to describe a service-era leg injury and subsequent uncharacterized discharge; a criminal-record waiver for Memphis Fire Department employee Lee Earl Wallace; and a request from Van Buren County to waive a 2012 DUI conviction for a candidate, Charles Guy, who the sheriff said had completed restitution and probation. The commission also approved a 6-month training-availability waiver for Timothy Bridal McHargue and other scheduling waivers for agencies that deferred training to 2026.

The commission accepted several agreed orders in which officers surrendered or temporarily suspended certification. Legal staff presented agreed surrenders for Edwin Milan, Clifton Thomas Bellamy, Chad Mitchell Garland and Jared Wayne Wilcutt, each described on the record as having executed signed surrender paperwork; the commission voted to accept those surrenders. The commission also approved negotiated suspensions in multiple matters, including a temporary suspension agreed to by Joseph Tecumseh Jones related to conduct during a 2018 pursuit, and a suspension agreement for Eric Bradley Clem linked to ongoing proceedings.

Commissioners discussed a few reconsideration requests. A motion to deny reconsideration for Zachary Kyle Phan — whose prior request had been denied in January — passed after commissioners noted the seriousness of the 2012 hit-and-run-related assault underlying the earlier denial. For other applicants who appeared in person, commissioners asked clarifying questions before voting.

The commission’s actions are part of its statutory role overseeing certification, decertification, and training eligibility. Several approvals included conditions such as completion of outstanding in-service hours or attendance at a transition school before returning to certain duties. Where applicants had incomplete pre-employment files, agencies were instructed to complete required medical and psychological documentation before officers could be assigned independent duties.

Votes at a glance
- Blake Alexander Hart — military-discharge waiver: approved (voice vote). Provenance: applicant identified, presentation by Chattanooga Police Dept.; motion carried.
- Lee Earl Wallace (Memphis Fire Department) — criminal-record waiver: approved; one commissioner recused on related Memphis items; motion carried.
- Charles Guy (Van Buren County) — criminal-record waiver (2012 DUI; restitution completed): approved (motion carried).
- Timothy Bridal McHargue (Allgood PD) — six-month waiver due to class availability: approved.
- Agreed surrenders accepted — Edwin Milan; Clifton Thomas Bellamy; Chad Mitchell Garland; Jared Wayne Wilcutt: accepted (signed surrender paperwork presented).
- Agreed suspensions accepted — Joseph Tecumseh Jones (one-year suspension under negotiated terms); Eric Bradley Clem (suspension agreed): accepted.
- Reconsideration denied — Zachary Kyle Phan: motion to deny reconsideration approved.

Commission staff and legal counsel noted in several cases that approvals carried conditions (completion of court-ordered restitution, in-service training or academy requirements) and reminded agencies to file required paperwork. The commission’s roll-call and recusal statements were recorded at the start of the meeting; several commissioners recused themselves on specific items where indicated.

The commission’s administrative record will show each individual order and the conditions attached; agencies were instructed to follow up with the POST office to confirm any outstanding paperwork.