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POST Commission approves numerous waivers, accepts surrender orders and denies one settlement proposal
Summary
At its meeting the POST Commission approved numerous in-service waivers for individual officers and agencies, accepted several agreed surrender orders, approved a certification reinstatement, and denied a settlement offer from an officer appealing decertification.
The state POST Commission approved multiple waivers of 2025 in-service training requirements for individual officers and agencies, accepted several agreed surrender orders of certification, denied a settlement offer by an officer appealing decertification, and reinstated one officer—s certification following a served suspension.
Waivers: The commission approved waivers to allow agencies and officers to remain POST-compliant for a range of agencies, including Covington Police Department (Brett Taylor), Houston County Sheriff—s Office (Wade Barker), Kingston Police Department (Robert Earl Scott Stallings), several Millington officers (a list presented by Millington Public Safety Director Gary Graves), Murfreesboro (Nicholas Moreno), Oak Ridge (Samuel Morton Shell), and a slate of 13 Tennessee Highway Patrol officers. Lieutenant Amy Denton (Murfreesboro, GDI) and Sergeant Kevin Mayer (Oak Ridge, GDI) appeared to confirm facts about their agencies—training records. In most cases staff said waivers were necessary because officers had completed transition school at hire but documentation of in-service completion for calendar year 2025 could not be verified. Motions to approve were made and seconded; the transcript records routine "aye" responses and occasional abstentions but does not list roll-call tallies.
Late pre-employment paperwork (Decatur County): Captain Tim Rowland told the commission he had been incorrectly updating Acadis and failed to mark two officers as full-time after graduation; he corrected the records and the commission approved the remedial filings for Stephen Christopher Shaw and K Williams.
Agreed surrenders and settlements: The commission approved an agreed surrender submitted by Michael Andrew Reagan (former Pettis County sheriff) and another for Scott Anthony Hall following a guilty plea in Hickman County. The commission heard a settlement proposal from Demetrius Walker (submitted in person), who sought a two-year suspension instead of decertification following internal findings of untruthfulness and inappropriate contact with a juvenile; commissioners moved to deny the proposed settlement. Walker—s appeal remains scheduled for a full hearing next month. The commission also accepted an agreed surrender order from Michael Singleton, added earlier in the meeting.
Reinstatement: The University of Tennessee Memphis Police Department requested reinstatement of certification for Ashur Rashad Smith after completion of a one-year suspension that began Oct. 17, 2024. Staff noted the prior agreed order and condition that Smith complete transition school; commissioners approved the reinstatement.
Why it matters: The approvals keep officers and agencies eligible for POST certification and, in some cases, salary supplement eligibility. Accepted surrenders remove certification from officers who voluntarily relinquished it or agreed to surrender following criminal or administrative actions.
What—next: Several items (including Demetrius Walker—s appeal) remain scheduled for future hearings; staff will also follow up on recordkeeping issues flagged by Millington and Decatur County.
