With the surprise resignation of Metro Police Chief Emmett Turner on Tuesday to take a job as state fire marshal, Mayor Bill Purcell has been presented what many consider a golden opportunity to revamp the cop shop. Were he to select the right person, Purcell could turn the department into a modern unit that steers clear of conflicts of interest, investigates allegations against its own officers and promotes officers based on merit—not connections. People who’ve observed the department for years say the only way to fix it is to bring in an outsider.
Right now, however, the leading candidate to replace Turner could very well be deputy chief Deborah Faulkner, who would hardly represent a breath of fresh air. Beloved by the Fraternal Order of Police (FOP)and a mother figure to many rank and file officers, Faulkner nonetheless lost credibility when she cleared two officers charged with being present when renegade security guards were terrorizing Hispanics. The department’s own Office of Professional Accountability prepared a 1,275-page report that outlined wrongdoing by the officers. But Faulkner believed the word of the two charged cops, not the extensive documentation her department’s own internal affairs unit provided.
“If her impartiality is evidenced by how she summarily dismissed the charges against those police officers, the Hispanic community can’t look forward to having a chief of police that will take their complaints seriously,” says Jerry Gonzalez, a Nashville attorney who represents Spanish-speaking clients.
Still, most seasoned observers say that, at the very least, Faulkner will be among the finalists for the job. “She’ll be on the short list when it’s all said and done,” says Sergeant Ed Mason, the vice president of the FOP, who stressed he was not speaking on behalf of the union. “She’s experienced in this department, she came through the department, she has been in management, she was over patrol, she is the longest serving deputy chief over there.”
Faulkner’s fellow deputy Steve Anderson may also be on the short list for the job. Unlike Faulkner, Anderson, a lawyer, is not a favorite of the FOP; but to some, that might be a good thing.
Turner’s announcement that he was going to work in the administration of Gov. Phil Bredesen comes only weeks after Metro’s parks director, Jim Fyke, announced he was also leaving city government for a state job. Bredesen, who served two terms as mayor, was close to both Turner and Fyke during his tenure as mayor.
When Turner was named police chief in 1996, his arrival was heralded by community activists who were pleased that an African American had become the city’s top law enforcement officer. Critics, however, charged that Turner, a part of the Metro police force for over three decades, did not do enough in modernizing a department that has faced more than its share of scandal in modern times.
