Private attorneys hired by Metro have finally reported back to city leaders about the scattershot allegations brought by retired Metro Nashville Police Department Lt. Garet Davidson in May 2024. At that time, Davidson publicly detailed misconduct and corruption within the police department in a complaint filed with MNPD’s Office of Professional Accountability. The OPA — an internal disciplinary body — was both his former employer and the direct object of certain misconduct allegations, including instances of mishandled cases, favoritism and interference from superior officers.
A 122-page report from law firm Butler Snow, headed by former U.S. attorney Ed Stanton, repeatedly disputes Davidson’s account of certain internal situations. Davidson’s complaint cast a wide net over various aspects of MNPD procedure, alleging an intentionally prolonged disciplinary process, sexual harassment and misconduct from a high-ranking officer, a campaign against the Metro Nashville Community Oversight Board, and a police culture in which individuals manipulated internal procedures for personal reasons. Davidson’s complaint identified several officers by name, including high-ranking officials like Assistant Chief Mike Hagar, Deputy Chief Chris Gilder and Lt. Taylor Schmitz.
Attorneys assumed the task of evaluating his allegations, which they frequently dismissed as “broad” or “vague,” and weighing them against existing MNPD policy, often finding that the misconduct he highlighted did not technically violate department policy.
The Butler Snow investigation found that much of the so-called “misconduct” alleged by Davidson was in line with MNPD policy. The report defends one specific disciplinary case that Davidson alleges was unnecessarily slow-walked, for example, by stating that “there was no policy requiring a speedy disciplinary process” at the time of the incident. In another case, the report defends high-ranking officers’ interference in OPA processes by referencing MNPD policy that “encourages and even requires the involvement of command staff.” It further clears allegations that MNPD staff favored oral communication to avoid creating a paper trail by finding that “the Department’s internal policies do no appear to forbid command staff from opting for oral communication over written communication.”
The report did not find any evidence that MNPD coordinated with state lawmakers to pass a law dissolving independent police review committees like the Community Oversight Board, replacing them with less powerful entities. It also did not directly address an allegation from Davidson that Chief Gilder was awarded a small "crystal-style" trophy for his role in passing the state law to defang the Community Oversight Board, which Davidson detailed in his initial complaint. (In 2024 the Civilian Review Board was established to take the place of the dismantled Community Oversight Board.)
In other cases, attorneys found a lack of evidence for Davidson's claims. Recommendations include speedier investigation timeframes and clarifying existing policy.
