Members of the Collegedale Police Department allegedly broke the law by using an illegal quota system.
By Andrew McClaren
Now they have demonstrated that they are above the law and were able to allegedly violate citizen’s Constitutional rights with impunity as well as abuse their subordinate officers by claiming their quota system was “adoptive performance standards.”
The District Attorney Neal Pinkston has decided there isn’t enough evidence beyond a reasonable doubt to get a conviction and therefore will not prosecute them. This, however, does not mean that the subjects of the investigation are innocent.
The Collegedale Police Department has decided to get rid of their “adopted performance standards” — an illegal quota system and to cease and desist from using it. To me, this speaks volumes. If it was legal they would not be so quick to get rid of the policy.
This is an important matter because we hold those who enforce laws to higher ethical standards and expect them to be experts on the laws they enforce and employ internally and externally via their various agencies. We citizens also expect a chief of police to have a firm grasp of jurisprudence and understand the public trust must be maintained with integrity and not obfuscation of evidence or professional retaliation.
Here is the Tennessee Code Annotated: 39-16-516 a, b and c
(a) A political subdivision or any agency of this state may not establish or maintain, formally or informally, a plan to evaluate, promote, compensate, or discipline a law enforcement officer solely by the issuance of a predetermined or specified number of any type or combination of types of traffic citations.
(b) A political subdivision or any agency of this state may not require or suggest to a law enforcement officer that the law enforcement officer is required or expected to issue a predetermined or specified number of any type or combination of types of traffic citations within a specified period.
(c) Nothing in this section shall prohibit a municipal corporation, a political subdivision or any agency of this state, from establishing performance standards for law enforcement officers that include issuance of traffic citations, but do not require issuance of a predetermined or specified number or any type or combination of types of citations as the sole means of meeting such performance.
Andrew McLaren in a candidate for mayor of Chattanooga. This commentary is posted initially on FB.
