police

Police search in East Nashville

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Something’s going on, but we’re not quite sure what, in East Nashville.  Just a little while ago, lunapetunia reported what she saw from the corner of Gallatin Rd and Eastland Ave:

What’s going on in East Nashville? from nashville

Mahale and Sydnee concurred:

Comment from discussion Mahale’s comment from discussion "What’s going on in East Nashville?".

Comment from discussion SydneePG’s comment from discussion "What’s going on in East Nashville?".

I just stepped outside to see that there was a helicopter circling over Maxwell Heights and Greenwood, shining a spotlight down on the ground.

Update:

Ariana Maia Sawyer, of The Tennessean, reported that the search is over, though Blair Hickman isn’t so sure:

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Huge crowd of Nashvillians gather for Black Lives Matter protest

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Hundreds, perhaps thousands, of people gathered tonight in Public Square to protest the recent murders of Alton Brown and Philando Castile in other American cities.  The event, which was organized before Thursday night’s killing of five Dallas police officers, continued on to Broadway and ended near the police headquarters in the rain.

Tony Gonzalez of Nashville Public Radio followed along with the protestors.

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More police for Nashville Pride Festival

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MNPD Chief Steve Anderson said that his department will “have a quite visible presence” for the Nashville Pride Festival on June 24 and 25:

Sunday’s mass shooting in Orlando shocked all of us and has understandably caused concern among those planning to attend this year’s Nashville Pride Festival.  I have directed Lt. David Leavitt in Special Events to develop a staffing plan with extra-duty officers that clearly demonstrates this police department’s commitment to safety for all festival goers.  Without going into specifics, this department will have a quite visible presence in and around Public Square Park on the 24th and 25th as part of our mission to advance safety, fairness and equality for all.

The Special Events staffing will be in addition to personnel provided each year through a private security company contracted by the organizers of the Nashville Pride Festival.

Owners of LGBT-oriented businesses are also encouraged to report suspicious activity to the police.

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MNPD officer commits suicide after being decommissioned

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Officer Jonathan Perez died yesterday morning after shooting himself in his apartment.  Perez had been an officer with the MNPD for five years, but was decommissioned on March 29 for repeatedly stalking a coworker and disobeying commands from his superior to stop.

Earlier: Cop Stalk

His former colleagues rushed to his apartment after getting a tip from a crisis hotline, the MNPD reported.  It was too late, though, as he’d already shot himself before they were able to enter the apartment.

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Police officer does things police tell you not to do

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A Nashville police detective was arrested this morning for drunk driving and more; according to the press release, his crimes include

DUI, gun possession while under the influence, leaving the scene of an accident, and violation of the implied consent law for refusing a breath alcohol test.

He was found asleep behind the wheel of an unmarked police car in the parking lot of a Goodlettsville convenience store (though he was off duty).  He told the investigating officers that he had struck the median while exiting a highway (think about that for a minute) and damaged a tire.

He’s been decommissioned from the MNPD, which is conducting its own internal investigation into the incident as well.

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Cop Stalk

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MNPD Officer Jonathan Perez has been charged with stalking a coworker.  He’d previously been romantically involved with that coworker, but after they’d parted ways, he kept contacting her — even though she’d asked him repeatedly to stop. Even Perez’s supervisor told him to quit the stalking.

Perez, who’s been with MNPD for 5 years, is now on desk duty and was arrested this morning.  The police department is conducting its own internal investigation as well.

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Police Officers on Construction Details May Not Be Police Officers At All

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MNPD Chief Steve Anderson writes that many of the so-called officers seen at construction sites in Nashville may be from other jurisdictions or they may not be authorized to perform law enforcement duties in any jurisdiction at all.  The latter case is, of course, illegal.  In the December 18, 2015 employee newsletter (PDF), he writes:

On Tuesday of this week, I received a message from a citizen who works downtown in regard to the “perceived unhelpfulness” of “officers” in the downtown area regarding traffic issues. He related that because of construction and roadway choke points, motorists find themselves asking the “officers” how to get here or there. The complaint this citizen had heard from his friends is that the “officers” seemed to be indifferent or were perceived as rude. The citizen was surprised to learn of the information in my response:

On almost every complaint of this type that we are able to successfully investigate, the person involved is not a current or even former MNPD employee. By estimate of one MNPD supervisor who frequently investigates these complaints, only 15 to 20 percent of the persons on these traffic posts are current MNPD officers. Another 15 to 20 percent are retirees, and the remainder are persons from other jurisdictions performing law enforcement duties inside Davidson County, at least some of them not legitimately. I explained to the citizen that state law allows for officers from other jurisdictions to perform law enforcement duties inside Davidson County, that these persons are employed by private companies, are not accountable to the MNPD and have no vested interest in performing their duties in a manner consistent with the expectations of this police department or the citizens of Nashville. We very often find that these persons are not really employed as police officers in other places, but are volunteer, auxiliary or part-time employees.

After giving some examples of illegitimate officers, he relates:

If the issue concerns a non-MNPD employee, our ability to address it is somewhat limited (the Department of Commerce & Insurance, to my understanding, does not have the staffing to thoroughly investigate infractions).

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