Free Republic

NASHVILLE, Tenn. A published report in Nashville says top officials of the Tennessee Highway Patrol planned a phony punishment for a trooper who fixed a speeding ticket for Deputy Governor Dave Cooley. The report by The Tennessean newspaper came from notes describing a meeting between the highway patrol's then-commander Lynn Pitts and Safety Commissioner Fred Phillips. The notes were taken by Lieutenant Colonel Larry Rucker, then the Number Two man in the highway patrol. The Tennessean reported that it obtained the notes from a confidential source. The notes say Pitts planned to reassign Lt. Ronnie Shirley from Rutherford County to...

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- Gov. Phil Bredesen on Monday called the General Assembly into special session next month, and urged lawmakers to pass strong ethics legislation to help restore public trust in elected officials after a scandal-filled year. Beginning Jan. 10, lawmakers will evaluate proposed legislation covering several areas including the creation of an independent ethics commission, increased disclosure and regulation of lobbyists, open operation of government and changes to campaign finance laws. Ethics issues took on a greater urgency following the Tennessee Waltz government corruption sting in May that led to bribery charges against five current or former legislators...

Some See Kin as Baggage, But Attacking May BackfireOf all the obstacles facing Rep. Harold Ford Jr. in his race for Senate, the most vexing might be his large, complicated and controversial family. The latest incident involves Ford's father, former representative Harold Ford Sr., who last week alleged that voting irregularities in a state Senate race featuring his sister were engineered by Republicans in an effort to discredit his son. On Monday, Ford Jr. said he did not share those views, nor has he discussed them with his father. "That's my father's opinion," he said. "We talk every day but...

"Mannequins continuously bring me information from my planet." An Interview with the MongoHe may claim to be from another planet, but Memphis' most visible alien has stirred up plenty of trouble here on Earth.After a series of staccato raps on the wrought-iron front door of the Castle, Robert Hodges (a.k.a. Prince Mongo) finally appears, yawning from the early morning hour. Describing his appearance as disheveled would be too generous. Half-opened, sleepy eyes peer out of his thickly lined face. His thinning, dark brown curly hair is tousled in a style that only a pillow can achieve. This is a decidedly...

SELMER - Citing "bad judgment" as the reason McNairy County Sheriff Tommy Riley committed the felony of helping an inmate escape, a judge sentenced him Friday to three years of supervised probation. http://www.jacksonsun.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051217/NEWS01/512170311/1002on.

In dealing with recent state trooper troubles, it has become something of a mantra for Gov. Phil Bredesen to recite that the problems did not begin on his gubernatorial watch, but they will end on it. He is at least half right in advancing this public relations proposition. The patrol and politicking, with favoritism to friends, go way back. Anecdotally, a retired veteran trooper called the other day to recall that, when Gov. Ray Blanton more or less officially transformed all of state government into a big political patronage system 30 years ago, one branch of government where nothing much...

Corker cites $300,000 in NYC, lauds own homegrown war chest As the fund-raising in the Tennessee U.S. Senate campaign escalates, so does the rhetoric over who has raised how much and where. The latest skirmish began with Republican candidate Bob Corker, who sent out a press release calling attention to the amount raised out of state by Memphis Democrat Rep. Harold Ford Jr. In the first nine months of 2005, 42 percent of Ford's donations from individuals came from out of state, compared with 5 percent of Corker's, according to Political Money Line, a Washington watchdog group. The other major...

Tennessee Governor Phil Bredesen was repeatedly warned about problems within the Tennessee Highway Patrol, but was preoccupied with other issues.

2 Top Police Officials Resign in Tennessee NASHVILLE, Tenn., Dec. 10 (AP) - The top two officials in the Tennessee Department of Safety stepped down Friday, a day after an investigation found 41 troopers and staff members had criminal backgrounds or past driving violations. Gov. Phil Bredesen announced that one official, Safety Commissioner Fred Phillips, would resign immediately and the other, Deputy Commissioner Tom Moore, would retire. The Highway Patrol, overseen by the Department of Safety, has been under fire for accusations of political favoritism and corruption. That prompted Mr. Bredesen last week to order background checks of all 855...

MEMPHIS - A federal grand jury indicted three Memphis Police officers Wednesday. The U.S. Attorney's office believes Officers Adam Gagnier, James Fetter and Jennifer Vickery took thousands of dollars from drivers during traffic stops then planted drugs in the cars so they could make false arrests. Both Gagnier and Vickery have already pleaded guilty. "Miss Vickery feels like she's made some bad judgement calls and she's ready to cooperate with the government and put this behind her and go on with her life," says Vickery's attorney Milton MaGee. The officers seemed to have a nack for pulling over cars loaded...

E-mail: dstuart@wsmv.com The hiring scandal at the Tennessee Highway Patrol is now reaching all the way to the U.S. Congress. It has been uncovered that a trooper still working on the force was recommended by Congressman Lincoln Davis -- even though the trooper had a long criminal history. Officials at the Tennessee Highway Patrol hired Martin Estel Brown as a trooper in 2004 even though their own investigator recommended that he not be hired. In trooper Brown's personnel file, that investigator documented the following information about Brown's criminal history: * In 1996 he was arrested for assault and theft --...

Giving money to Tennessee Governor Bredesen is one very sure way for a THP Trooper to get promoted.