Middle TN 2023: La Vergne Police Department sex scandal
LA VERGNE, Tenn. (WKRN) — In January, a sex scandal rocked the La Vergne Police Department resulting in five officers getting fired for allegedly having sex on duty, sending nude photos of each other, not disclosing their relationships, and lying during a Human Resources investigation.
A month after the scandal was revealed, former La Vergne Police Chief Burrel “Chip” Davis was fired after a third-party investigation found he was aware of the sex scandal, but failed to report it and may have encouraged the behavior.
The investigation revealed a sergeant sent nude photos of other officers to the chief via text message. Davis also divulged there was sexual misconduct within the department in the past, according to recorded interviews.
“The first time wasn’t really on my watch. I just had to end it with the first scandal on second shift,” Davis was heard saying on tape during the investigation. “Then, this scandal is on my watch, and I’m like well s***; I’m supposed to be looking and seeing what’s going on, but I don’t know s*** about this, and I come here and it’s damn near sex ring or whatever on second shift.”
La Vergne mayor speaks on police department sex scandal
After sex scandal was revealed, La Vergne Mayor Jason Cole shared his thoughts with News 2.
“I still trust our police department. We’ve had some people make some very poor decisions, but as a whole, that isn’t our entire force and we’re committed to making sure that our police men and women are trained appropriately,” Cole said in February.
Cole took heat for promoting Davis to chief because he let him skip two levels of command to lead the department. Touting transparency, Cole and the city held community meetings to ask residents what’s important to them in finding a new chief. They also hired a recruiting company to conduct a nationwide search.
Meanwhile, La Vergne police asked the state to decertify four of the five officers who were fired. If the Peace Officer Standard and Training (POST) Commission votes to decertify, the officers will never be allowed to work in law enforcement in Tennessee. Davis is now up for possible decertification, as well.
“There’s no way to put makeup on it to cover it up. There is no cover-up,” Cole said. “This is a healing process both for our community and our police department and for our city as a whole.”
Former La Vergne officer suing city after sex scandal
On Feb. 27, former officer Maegan Hall filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against the city, two former sergeants and the former chief. The suit accuses the supervisors of grooming Hall for sexual exploitation.
It states Sgt. Lewis Powell forced Hall into sex acts, sometimes by physically holding her down and recording her without her consent. The lawsuit says the alleged abuse was so bad she tried to take her own life. The date of her federal trial is set for March 2025.
In April, Powell countersued Hall for defamation. He claims all of their sexual encounters were consensual and Hall initiated the relationship. Powell just filed another lawsuit in December against the city of La Vergne, the mayor, HR director, and the former chief. The lawsuit claims Powell was given unfair treatment based on his race, and that the chief ordered him to lie during the investigation.
As legal matters trudge on, the La Vergne Police Department is starting a new chapter. Former Milwaukee Police Department Capt. Christopher Moews was hired as chief; he took the reigns in September.
New La Vergne police chief hopes to bring new ideas, perspectives to department
“When it came to the scandal, I think it was unfortunate,” Moews told News 2 in September. “It’s something that we have to learn from, but what’s important is that we’re focused on the future, that we’re declaring a new values statement and that we are identifying a new mission.”
The City of La Vergne denied requests this month for an interview to update us on how the department has progressed under Moews’ leadership. He told News 2 shortly after he was hired his priorities include tactical and leadership training for officers and repairing the department’s reputation.
“The people of La Vergne have a police department they can be proud of. Have there been mistakes in the past? Yes,” said Moews. “We’re moving forward, and the men and women who are here are dedicated to this community, and I’m proud to be their next police chief.”
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